News
Plus Wings of Desire, Alex Lahey, The WAEVE, H. Hawkline, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 03, 2023
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the fifth Songs of the Week of 2023. There were lots of strong contenders this week, the Top 7 is especially solid. We settled on a Top 12 this week. More
SPARK Out Now via Secretly Canadian
Jan 31, 2023
By Mark Redfern
Chicago duo Whitney (Julien Ehlrich and Max Kakacek) have shared a new song, “For a While,” and announced some new U.S. tour dates for March. More
Plus Wild Pink and Julien Baker, Stella Donnelly, Whitney, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 26, 2022
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 32nd Songs of the Week of 2022. This week there were three strong album tracks, songs from albums released today that weren’t previously put out as pre-release singles, that made the list. More
SPARK Due Out September 16 via Secretly Canadian
Aug 25, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Chicago duo Whitney (Julien Ehlrich and Max Kakacek) have shared two new singles: “MEMORY” and “COUNTY LINES.” They are the latest releases from the duo’s forthcoming album, SPARK, which will be out on September 16 via Secretly Canadian. More
SPARK Due Out September 16 via Secretly Canadian
Jul 28, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Chicago duo Whitney (Julien Ehlrich and Max Kakacek) have shared videos for two new singles: “TWIRL” and “BLUE.” Both songs are to be featured on the duo’s forthcoming album, SPARK, which will be out on September 16 via Secretly Canadian. More
SPARK Due Out September 16 via Secretly Canadian
Jul 20, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Last night, Chicago duo Whitney (Julien Ehlrich and Max Kakacek) made their debut appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! They performed the track “REAL LOVE” from their forthcoming album, SPARK. More
Plus Jockstrap, Dry Cleaning, Marlon Williams, Whitney, Preoccupations, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 17, 2022
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 24th Songs of the Week of 2022. This week’s list features several artists from Down Under, with some great tracks from artists from both Australia and New Zealand. There were too many fantastic songs this week, so we have a super-sized Top 15 main list and lots of strong honorable mentions too. More
SPARK Due Out September 16 via Secretly Canadian
Jun 16, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Chicago duo Whitney (Julien Ehlrich and Max Kakacek) have announced the release of a new album, SPARK, which will be out on September 16 via Secretly Canadian. They have also shared a video for the album’s lead single, “REAL LOVE,” in addition to announcing a tour in support of the album. More
Candid out August 14th on Secretly Canadian
Aug 04, 2020
By Jennifer Irving
Whitney have shared their newest cover, David Byrne and Brian Eno’s “Strange Overtones,” off of their forthcoming Candid, an album of covers featuring the band’s favorite songs, set to be released next week via Secretly Canadian. More
Candid Due Out August 14 Via Secretly Canadian
Jul 16, 2020
By Samantha Small and Julian Roberts-Grmela
ast year, Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) released their beautiful sophomore album Forever Turned Around. Now, they’re coming back with something a little different: a covers album titled Candid. They have shared its new single, a cover of The Roches’“Hammond Song” (from their 1979 eponymous album). More
Whitney Also Cover SWV’s “Rain” and Announce Livestream Concert
May 26, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) have teamed up with Waxahatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield) to cover John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The duo have also covered SWV’s “Rain.” More
Whitney Announce 2020 Tour Dates and Share Cover of Wilco's "Far, Far Away" Forever Turned Around Out Now via Secretly Canadian
Nov 22, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) released a new album, Forever Turned Around, back in August via Secretly Canadian. Now they have announced some new 2020 tour dates and have shared a new cover of Wilco’s “Far, Far Away” (from their album Being There) that is the B-side to a new 7-inch single for “FTA,” a shorter version of Forever Turned Around‘s closing track. More
Issue 66 Features Musicians and Actors on Their All-Time Favorite Albums, including Tegan and Sara, Wilco, Weyes Blood, Sigur Rós, Fred Armisen, Topher Grace, Jay Baruchel, Low, and more
Sep 27, 2019
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is excited to announce the My Favorite Album Issue, our new print issue in which we speak to musicians and actors about their all-time favorite album. The issue features Angel Olsen and Sleater-Kinney on the two covers and is available to buy directly from us here, as well as being distributed in stores nationwide (on newsstands, in such stores as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, and elsewhere). More
Forever Turned Around Out Now via Secretly Canadian
Aug 30, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) have released a new album, Forever Turned Around, today via Secretly Canadian. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing here. Also, today is officially “Whitney Day” in Chicago. More
Plus Michael Kiwanuka, Ride, Chelsea Wolfe, Death Cab for Cutie, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 16, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. It was a super strong week for new songs. There was lots of debate about how many tracks we should include this week and what would make the list. Hence we ended up with a Top 12, instead of our usual Top 10. There are also a whole lot of honorable mentions. More
Forever Turned Around Due Out August 30 via Secretly Canadian
Aug 13, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) are releasing a new album, Forever Turned Around, on August 30 via Secretly Canadian. Now they have shared another song from it, “Used to Be Lonely,” via a video for the track. More
Plus Ezra Furman, Luke Temple, Wilco, Squid, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 19, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. There were a slew of solid tracks to choose from this week, making it extra hard to narrow the list down. Hence there are a whopping 11 honorable mentions. But we had some self-control and kept the main list to a Top 10. More
Forever Turned Around Due Out August 30 via Secretly Canadian
Jul 16, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) are releasing a new album, Forever Turned Around, on August 30 via Secretly Canadian. Previously they shared its first single, “Giving Up” (which was one of our Songs of the Week). Now they have shared the album’s second single, “Valleys (My Love),” via a video for the track. More
Plus Blanck Mass, Bon Iver, Japanese Breakfast, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 07, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. There were several notable albums announced this week, which meant some strong opening singles to choose from, as well as a few album tracks. More
Forever Turned Around Due Out August 30 via Secretly Canadian
Jun 06, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) have announced a new album, Forever Turned Around, and shared a new song from it, “Giving Up.” More
Jun 03, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) have shared a mysterious new video entitled “FTA.” It features new music, but it’s unclear if it’s a full-on new song. More
September, October, and November Tickets Go on Sale This Friday
May 13, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) released their excellent debut album, Light Upon the Lake, in 2016 via Secretly Canadian. Now they have announced some new fall U.S. tour dates on top of their previously announced dates. A press release says that the Chicago-based duo will be performing music from their yet-to-be-announced sophomore album, which it says will be released later this year via Secretly Canadian. More
Plus Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, and Others
Apr 22, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The lineup for the 2019 Woodsist Festival has been announced. Put on by the Woodsist label and its flagship band Woods, the festival will feature the 2009 lineup of Woods (featuring Kevin Morby and G Lucas Crane) in honor of the 10th anniversary of the band’s Songs of Shame. Morby will be performing solo as well and the lineup also features Real Estate, Whitney, Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, and others. More
Duo Currently Finishing Sophomore Album
Mar 06, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) released their excellent debut album, Light Upon the Lake, in 2016 via Secretly Canadian. Now they have announced some fall U.S. tour dates. A press release also says that the Chicago-based duo will release new music this year. More
Ti Amo Out Now via Glassnote
Mar 01, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
France’s Phoenix released a new album, Ti Amo, back in June 2017 via Glassnote. Now they have stopped by Australia’s Triple J radio station to take part in their Like a Version series where a band does a cover version. Their choice: Whitney’s “No Woman,” taken from the Chicago duo’s 2016 debut album, Light Upon the Lake. More
Light Upon the Lake: Demo Recordings Due Out November 10 via Secretly Canadian
Sep 28, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney (Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek) released their excellent debut album, Light Upon the Lake, last year via Secretly Canadian. Now they have announced a new companion album, Light Upon the Lake: Demo Recordings. More
Head Carrier Out Now via Pixiesmusic/[PIAS]
May 16, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Last year Pixies released a new album, Head Carrier, via Pixiesmusic/[PIAS]. Now the band have announced what they’re calling “leg three” of their 2017 North American tour dates. More
Plus: Glass Animals, Cut Copy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chance the Rapper, Solange, The Killers, Run the Jewels, Car Seat Headrest, and Others
May 04, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Austin City Limits have announced the lineup of their 2017 festival to go down in the Texas capitol this October. The event is headlined by Gorillaz, The xx, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, Martin Garrix, and Chance the Rapper. More
12-Inch Also Featuring a Cover of Dolly Parton's "Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can)" Due Out June 2 via Secretly Canadian
May 03, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney features former Smith Westerns members Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek and they released their excellent debut album, Light Upon the Lake, last June via Secretly Canadian. More
They Cover Dolly Parton's "Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can)" and Lion's "You Got a Woman"
Mar 27, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney features former Smith Westerns members Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek and they released their excellent debut album, Light Upon the Lake, last June via Secretly Canadian. More
A New Album Is Expected This Year
Mar 27, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
France’s Phoenix last released an album 2013 with Bankrupt!. They have already announced some shows for 2017, including a headlining appearance at the Governor’s Ball in New York and a stop at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. More
"Our First 100 Days" Will Include a New Song Every Day for the First 100 Days of Trump's Presidency
Jan 13, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
During the election many indie rock musicians released anti-Donald Trump songs and likely assumed, like many liberals and Hillary Clinton supporters did, that Trump didn’t have a strong chance of winning. More
Light Upon the Lake Out Now via Secretly Canadian
Jan 06, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney features former Smith Westerns members Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek and they released their excellent debut album, Light Upon the Lake, last June via Secretly Canadian. Last night the band stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to make their network television debut and perform “Golden Days.” More
Signs of Light Out Now via Warner Bros.
Nov 28, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
The Head and the Heart released a new album, Signs of Light, back in September via Warner Bros. Now they have announced a whole ton of 2017 tour dates. Springtime Carnivore and Whitney will be opening some of their U.S. dates. More
Light Upon the Lake Out Now via Secretly Canadian
Sep 15, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Whitney features former Smith Westerns members Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek and they released their excellent debut album, Light Upon the Lake, back in June via Secretly Canadian. More
Special Issue Takes On Sexism and Feminism in the Music Industry, Tackles the Election, and Features Amanda Palmer on the Cover
Sep 09, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our 2016 Protest Issue (out September, October, and into November), which is out now both digitally and on newsstands. We’ve done a Protest Issue every U.S. Presidential election year since 2004 and as before this issue features articles examining the intersection of music and politics and photo shoots with musicians holding protest signs of their own making. Then in mid-October we will be launching our charity Protest Auction, in which we auction off all the protest signs in the issue, with all profits going to the American Cancer Society. More
Light Upon The Lake Out June 3rd On Secretly Canadian
Mar 23, 2016
By Joshua M. Miller
Today Chicago band Whitney has announced that their debut album, Light Upon the Lake, will be released June 3rd on Secretly Canadian. They also have shared the video for single “Golden Days.” More
Interviews
“Our favorite songwriter of all time is Neil Young. He has so many albums that are sick, so choosing one album would be a little tough.” – Max Kakacek
Jul 09, 2020
By Matt Conner
To hear Max Kakacek and Julien Ehrlich discuss their favorite album is to also discuss Whitney’s latest album, Forever Turned Around. The Chicago-based duo at the center of the indie folk band are obsessed with all things Neil Young these days and that includes an inability to arrive at a single favorite album. More
Empowered by Imperfection
Oct 06, 2016
By Joshua M. Miller
Chicago duo Whitney has an uncompromising and bold personality in more ways than one. It’s likely that some of that toughness in character came during writing their debut album during one of Chicago’s coldest winters between 2014-15. More
Reviews
Sep 14, 2022
By Mark Moody
It should be a crime for the duo of Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek to release another of their shimmery summery albums on the eve of autumn. More
Aug 30, 2019
By Timothy Michalik
It seems it would be sacrilege for Whitney to release an album in a season other than summer. The Chicago six-piece’s 2016 debut album, Light Upon the Lake, seamlessly incorporated a bright, jammy, but somewhat sluggish country-rock ambiance, the sound of sluggish August heat and the triumph of fresh, new love. More
