WHITNEY | Keeping Things in the Family

A Conversation with Julien Ehrlich and Max Kacacek of Indie Folk Band Whitney

Photos by Alexa Viscius

Interview by Tommy Moore

Whitney was formed in Chicago in 2015 by former Smith Westerns guitarist Max Kakacek and Unknown Mortal Orchestra drummer Julien Ehrlich. Known for their warm, soulful sound and introspective songwriting, Whitney quickly gained acclaim with their debut album, Light Upon the Lake (2016), which featured the standout single "No Woman."

Since then, they've put out a handful of records, their latest being "Small Talk," which was released at the tail end of 2025.

At the core of a historic and growing Chicago music scene, Whitney has played a vital role in the growth of both the Chicago and Midwest indie scenes. "Small Talk" embodies both this growth and a heavy Chicago footprint across all 11 tracks.

Just before its release, we sat down with Max and Julien to talk through the new record, the pains of writing both on the road and simply as an adult, and the beautiful chaos a Transatlantic relationship brings.

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WHITNEY | Keeping Things in the Family

Tommy Moore: Are you guys in Chicago right now?

Max Kakacek: Yeah, back home. What about you?

Tommy Moore: I'm in Indianapolis for a couple off days. But yeah, I think the last time we all crossed paths was post-COVID, at some cash-only dive in Chicago. The Houndmouth boys were there… I think Mac DeMarco was floating around, too. Total blur.

Julien Ehrlich: That was Rainbo Club… and maybe the Continental after? A real Northside night.

Tommy Moore: Yep. I went straight from bar close to the airport for a 6 a.m. flight. Classic Chicago. Anyway, how are you guys feeling? How’s fall been? How long have you been home from tour?

Max Kakacek: A little over a month now.

Julien Ehrlich: Yeah, same. Though “home” is relative. I married someone who lives in Copenhagen, so I basically got off tour and then immediately got on a seven-hour flight.

Tommy Moore: My girlfriend lives in London, so I feel that deeply.

Julien Ehrlich: It sucks, man. I leave again tomorrow, then we’re flying Copenhagen, to LA, to Brisbane for Australia. It’s going to be brutal.

Tommy Moore: With the new record rolling out, how’s it been actually getting momentum behind it? What’s the reception been like?

Max Kakacek: We chose a longer rollout this time. We released “Darling” in May, but didn’t announce the album right away. Between management changes and a new rhythm of working, it all moved slower intentionally. But now we’re finally a month out, and I’m just ready for people to hear the whole thing. Ready to tour it.

"The record is so centered on the songs—the sentiments, the lyrics—that when we saw Alexa Viscius’s photo, it snapped into place immediately. First time that’s happened for us since the rose on the first record."

"Small Talk" by Whitney Photographed by Alexa Viscius

Tommy Moore: That wait is always torture. Especially with management transitions. Nothing moves fast.

Max Kakacek: Totally. But the exciting part is we’ve got two hometown shows at the Bottle for their 33rd anniversary. Two shows in one day. That’ll feel like hitting the ground running.

Tommy Moore: I remember years ago you mentioned a cover you loved got scrapped. How’d it go this time?

Julien Ehrlich: Last record’s art direction was confusing because the sound was such a shift. We kept asking ourselves, Does the cover need to reflect that shift? Are we overthinking it? We had no idea.

But this one felt spiritually different from the jump. The record is so centered on the songs—the sentiments, the lyrics—that when we saw Alexa Viscius’s photo, it snapped into place immediately. First time that’s happened for us since the rose on the first record.

Tommy Moore: I’ve heard most of the album, and it feels incredibly composed—full, refined, complete.

Julien Ehrlich: Appreciate that. Almost every interview so far has said some version of, “This is your best record,” which… feels really good.

Tommy Moore: Did you expect that reaction?

Julien Ehrlich: Honestly, no. We’re proud of it, but we get lost in the process. We’re not perfectionists, but we definitely go to insane places, like debating single-digit cents on the tape machine at the end. You lose perspective when you’re that deep. By the time it’s finished, you need space before you can even ask, Is this good?

"You lose perspective when you’re that deep. By the time it’s finished, you need space before you can even ask, 'Is this good?'"

Whitney Photographed by Alexa Viscius

"If we’re stuck, writing by hand feels better. You can fill five pages with throwaway ideas and see things more clearly."

Tommy Moore: With your Midwest roots—especially in Chicago—how do you feel the place shapes your creativity?

Max Kakacek: A lot of our friends in the Chicago scene we've known since 2015–16. Watching everyone’s trajectories unfold here… it’s grounding. And even the older lineage—like Jeff Tweedy and the Wilco universe—the way they've built careers in the city is inspiring. Doing the work here. Keeping things in the family.

This is the first record where we fully embraced that. We did a session in Oregon, but most of it was Chicago musicians, recorded in our apartment or at the studios we love here. Chicago bands like keeping things local, not flying out to LA or New York. And we leaned into that for the first time.

Tommy Moore: Chicago’s such a special scene.

Max Kakacek: Totally. And Jeff’s studio is insane. No reason to leave. The first time we went, it felt like that scene in The Matrix when Neo asks for guns and they all fly past him, but with guitars and pedals. Just infinite gear.

Tommy Moore: When you start writing, what does that look like? Structured? Loose?

Julien Ehrlich: It can be as far along as Max having a full-blown verse idea with layers, or as simple as me playing two chords that feel good. Then we sit down together and start passing the idea back and forth.

It’s totally collaborative—lyrics, melodies, everything. I’ll lay down gibberish takes, and sometimes an entire chorus hook appears with actual words. Other times, we take a day, come back, and then spend two months trying to crack a verse.

Tommy Moore: Are you journal people or Notes app?

Julien Ehrlich: Both. If we’re stuck, writing by hand feels better. You can fill five pages with throwaway ideas and see things more clearly. Notes app is more for deleting your way into something.

"And it’s harder now—we’re adults. Life gets in the way. I’m constantly flying to Copenhagen. Getting in the same room is harder."

Whitney Photographed by Alexa Viscius

"Watching everyone’s trajectories unfold here… it’s grounding. And even the older lineage—like Jeff Tweedy and the Wilco universe—the way they've built careers in the city is inspiring. Doing the work here. Keeping things in the family."

Tommy Moore: Are there any lines on the new record—one-liners, verses, whatever—that really stick with you?

Julien Ehrlich: The choruses on “Damage,” especially the last one, feel really strong—almost like an old country-folk strong. And the second verse into the back half of “Islands” feels like lyrics that could only come with age. Like they’d been marinating somewhere in us for years.

Max Kakacek: “Really Something” hits that way for me. Those lyrics came quickly, which is rare. They felt necessary. Some songs you have to workshop for months, but the ones that come fast often hit harder because you experienced them in real time, instead of as a project.

Tommy Moore: Totally. The magic disappears if something’s labored over too long.

Max Kakacek: Exactly. You lose the spark of the idea. The shower thought, the drive home, the zoning out—those moments have a certain high to them. If a song comes from that place, it just feels more alive.

Tommy Moore: Now that the record is almost out, where are your heads at? Ready to tour it? Already thinking about the next one?

Julien Ehrlich: Honestly, both. We actually started a couple songs immediately after the rollout plan was set. Then we toured all summer. And I’d be listening to those early demos thinking, Man, I wish we were home. We’ve never been good at writing on the road.

If we move back to a bus, we need to consciously carve out writing time. And it’s harder now—we’re adults. Life gets in the way. I’m constantly flying to Copenhagen. Getting in the same room is harder.

Max Kakacek: After Australia, we’ll set aside real time to write. But since summer, it’s been nonstop—touring, weddings, people coming and going. Our studio’s been full of suitcases. After Australia, we want to actually schedule creativity. Sit down and mess around.

"The shower thought, the drive home, the zoning out—those moments have a certain high to them. If a song comes from that place, it just feels more alive."

Whitney Photographed by Alexa Viscius

Tommy Moore: That’s the weird part of aging creatively—you have to pencil in inspiration.

Max Kakacek: And on a bus, you need privacy to make something dumb without someone hearing you. Someone is always around. You need space to have bad ideas. Every creative person knows that.

And we’re in this transition phase where we’re looking for a longer-term studio—a space that isn’t the apartment. When you live and work in the same place, you never really clock out.

Tommy Moore: Coming home from tour to your own workspace is like coming home to a sink full of dishes.

Max Kakacek: Exactly. Or guitars with rusty strings. Silly problems in the grand scheme, but they’re real. Normal musician life.

"... you need privacy to make something dumb without someone hearing you. Someone is always around. You need space to have bad ideas. Every creative person knows that."

WHITNEY \ Keeping Things in the Family

Photos by Alexa Viscius

Interview by Tommy Moore