Small Talk

Small Talkis Chicago duoWhitney’s fourth and unequivocally best and most affecting album. After a decade of being roommates and bandmates, first inSmith Westernsand then inWhitney,Julien EhrlichandMax Kakacekentered the studio in the summer of 2024 sans-producer, with assorted pals dropping into add parts. The result is 11 incandescent songs that delight on two levels. There are instant classic Whitney songs here, tunes that tug at the same heartfelt melodic strings they’ve always pulled, and still other moments that speak to how much room they gave themselves to evolve.