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- Summary: The latest full-length release for Chicago duo Whitney was written in Portland, Oregon and features production from John Congleton and Brad Cook
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- Record Label: Secretly Canadian
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Electronic, Indie Pop
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 8
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Mixed: 3 out of 8
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Negative: 0 out of 8
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Sep 16, 2022It is adventurous and (importantly) without sacrificing the strength of the tracks themselves. Even more impressive, is that with all the risks the band takes here, the album is undeniably a Whitney record.
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Sep 14, 2022Already one of indie rock’s tightest live bands, SPARK gives them a dozen more arrows for their quiver and maybe a chance for Ehrlich to get out from behind the drum kit and soothe our souls straight from the footlights.
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Sep 14, 2022Portions of SPARK may be too slick for its own good, as basic lovelorn lyrics that fill songs like "BACK THEN" ("Blue skies don't feel so wrong / Those times have come and gone") and the back end's more drippy melodies ("HEART WILL BEAT") go down a bit too easily. But on SPARK, Whitney prove themselves to be in the indie rock game for the long run, even if they've outgrown the type of indie rock that birthed them.
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Sep 15, 2022Whitney have updated their sound, but they do it with such subtlety and finesse that it feels incredibly natural and organic.
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Sep 14, 2022‘Spark’ presents a jarring change: not one from that familiar warmth to icy cold, but only halfway, a sort of uncomfortable mild chill.
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Sep 19, 2022Whitney’s music is starting to sound better than it is. A little more songwriting, and a bit more leeway for that old, bracing strangeness, would go a long way.
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Sep 16, 2022While SPARK's curio-like qualities may win the duo new listeners, and songwriting tendencies could offer a lifeline to certain established fans, it's a change -- signified by its all-caps stylization -- sure to alienate many as well.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 1 out of 1
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Mixed: 0 out of 1
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Negative: 0 out of 1
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Sep 16, 2022This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
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