Following the success of
Whitney
's breakthrough debut album,
Light Upon the Lake
, songwriters
Julien Ehrlich
and
Max Kakacek
returned to the warm, mellow, pastoral vibe they had established on that record for the follow-up,
Forever Turned Around
. Both albums reached the Top 25 of Billboard's alternative chart. What wasn't clear to outsiders at the time was that the duo struggled to complete the latter album, which followed a blueprint they felt they'd outgrown. A romantic breakup, a move across the country (and back again), and pandemic shutdowns ultimately gave the Chicagoans the opportunity to give voice to immediate musical instincts and ultimately refashion their sound. While not a complete reinvention -- a languid, easygoing tone and
Ehrlich
's airy falsetto are still at the heart of their songs -- the resulting
SPARK
represents a surprising design overhaul on a 12-song production dominated by lush electronics and indebted to cited influence
Dilla
. It was produced by
John Congleton
's
Brad Cook
. It's a potentially jarring shift for those familiar with
's original folk- and country-rock inspirations, even on a song like "REAL LOVE" that incorporates familiar timbres like Wurlitzer, guitar, and acoustic percussion, which they mix in this case with programmed beats and synths. A last-minute addition to the album, the forward-looking track was penned on the brink of widespread pandemic re-openings. Much of the rest of the record is breakup-minded, including opener "NOTHING REMAINS," which processes
's vocals right out of the gate. Its booming, bass-reinforced opening beats set the stage for a slow reveal that adds guitar, then ringing keys, and layers of horns and strings for a dreamy introduction that feels at once familiar and like something contorted into a remix. (The album's opening words are: "Troubles never go away/But they change.")
only broaden their experimentation on later tracks, like the druggy, drum-less "TWIRL," alt-R&B-tinged "SELF," and "LOST CONTROL," which channels elements of '70s
Rundgren
Harrison
within its fat-beats scheme. ~ Marcy Donelson