Whitney, SALES, and Charlie Burg Perform at Bandersnatch — 20 Watts Magazine | Premier Music Publication of SU

Vocalist Julien Ehrlich takes off his boots and sets the band’s relaxed and informal tone. Photo: Rachel Kline

            Instead of going straight into their opening song, the band simply looked at the audience in a humble disbelief, almost refusing to believe that anybody could possibly be there to see them play. Ehrlich informed the audience that they might even be nervous. “We’ve only done an acoustic set like this once before in Portugal,” he said. “And they might have only liked it because we were foreigners.”

            With a laugh from the audience, Whitney began their set with the single “Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can).” Ehrlich’s falsetto is soft, but incredibly clear, and sends the entire crowd into complete silence. After the song ends, the band begins to consult with one another about what song should come next, and something becomes very clear: They have no set list planned. As they banter back and forth about what to play next, the appeal of Whitney is obvious. In their simplicity and realness, they don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. They let the audience in on their creative process, even if it might expose a flaw or two.

            They decide on playing two songs, “Dave’s Song” and “Polly,” from their 2016 album Light Upon the Lake. Kakacek backs Ehrlich’s crisp vocals with rhythmic guitar plucking, while Miller pierces the apparent calmness with his trumpet, adding sonic depth to the songs.

            Keeping with the set’s informal spirit, the band decides to play a song for the crowd that they haven’t even named yet, much less finished writing. The song captures a sense of life at a standstill, creating a melancholy that seems to wash over the entire audience.

            Whitney’s sound is so heartbreakingly beautiful in its simplicity, that it’s almost haunting. After each song ends, the crowd is left speechless, but the band’s sarcastic banter snaps them back into the moment.

            As Whitney prepares to wrap up their set and discusses what their final song should be, a girl shouts from the audience, “No Matter Where We Go,” one of the band’s most popular songs. The band instantly erupts into laughter and speaks completely unfiltered about how much they hate the song. But Whitney is not one to disappoint. Cautioning the audience that they’ve never played “No Matter Where We Go” acoustically, Ehrlich and Kakacek talk out the logistics of the song as the crowd waits in anticipation. As Kakacek perfects the song’s catchy hook and is ready to play, Ehrlich informs the crowd, “This is going to be weird.”