Whitney 1.png

Soulful Chicago Indie-Folk Rock Group Whitney Comes To Memorial Auditorium

by

Music News

This Tuesday, September 29th, the lauded indie-folk rock group Whitney is set to take the stage at Memorial Auditorium in Downtown Chattanooga, supporting the band Caamp for what is set to be a powerhouse night for fans of indie-rock layered with folk sensibilities at one of the Scenic City’s biggest and best venues.

Whitney was first formed around 2014 in Chicago, Illinois, by Julian Ehrlich and Max Kakacek, who had already known each other through the tight-knit Chicago music scene, forming after Max’s band, The Smith Westerns, broke up, and Julian’s time as the drummer for Unknown Mortal Orchestra came to an end, with them both looking to expand their palette sonically.

They started recording casually together with the help of an old four-track tape machine. They became roommates in 2014, before later going on to write “Golden Days” together, and eventually inviting a few Chicago music friends into the mix. By 2016, they released their debut album, Light Upon the Lake, which is their masterpiece and one of my favorite hazy indie-folk records of the last decade.

As of 2026, and as part of their tour, they are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their flagship debut album, Light Upon the Lake, which produced nostalgic and sunny hits like the stunningly beautiful “Golden Days,” or the titular track, “Light Upon the Lake,” while other hits such as “Dave’s Song” and “No Woman” showcase not only their songwriting prowess, but their distinctive sound, featuring Julien’s high falsetto vocals, matched with warm horns and Kakacek's rhythmic, dreamy, and soulful guitar playing.

Their song, “No Woman,” has over 115 million streams on Spotify alone, and their catalog has been lauded by music critics throughout the last ten years; however, what I most love about their soundscape is its uncanny ability to feel warm, sunny, and nostalgic, while discussing serious themes, like heartache, change, navigating tough relationships, and loneliness.

Wrapped around it all is a feeling of being immersed in nature by a creek or gentle stream, with the warmth of their sound radiating and capturing a feeling that is hard to put into words, almost timeless, completely ethereal, with Julien’s unmistakable falsetto adding a uniquely soulful, lush, late seventies’ country touch.

Since their debut album in 2016, they've continued to experiment and evolve, without completely abandoning their signature style. Albums like SPARK pushed their music into more electronic and funk, while other albums, like one of my personal favorites, Forever Turned Around, dived even deeper into heavier themes while still exploring new sounds.

Songs like “Giving Up” and “Valleys (My Love)” from Forever Turned Around deal with losing a love and seeing them give up while still holding on to the unrequited love, and the loneliness of watching a relationship slowly drift apart due to distance. They do so beautifully, and I think “Giving Up” might be one of the best songs they have ever made.

Their latest album, Small Talk, was released in November of 2025 and is produced by Julien and Max, recorded at a small barn in Oregon, marking the band's return to their roots in a major way. Elements of country-soul are blended with soft pop, but they were also able to bring back their organic warmth that makes their sound so distinct.

I have not quite yet heard songs in the indie-folk rock world about fading relationships or a lonely life on the road produced and sewn together quite as well as Whitney does. They create a rich, lush, stunningly tender tapestry with their music, one that is beautiful and dreamy while also remaining catchy and singable, not totally drowning you in a quagmire of grief.

Whitney has an uncanny knack for making sad songs feel bright and happy, while still having substance, balanced with a poignancy and nostalgia that resulted in some of the best indie-folk music of the last decade. This pairing with Caamp is perfect, too, and fans can expect a night of music that will not soon be forgotten, right here in the Scenic City.

Whitney