Opening for Caamp at New Haven’s Westville Music Bowl, Chicago duo Whitney offering up a show with new singles, fantastic collaboration among bandmates, and a display of their unique marriage of instruments.

Stream: “No Woman” – Whitney

Chicago band Whitney, led by Max Kakacek and Julien Ehrlich, have been supporting the band Caamp on their 2025 tour, the pairing perfectly in keeping with Caamp’s discography. Known for their songs that effortlessly capture the warmth and ease that comes with the summer season, Whitney’s live performance is something that fans shouldn’t miss. With each band member bringing their own heart and unique talent to the stage, witnessing it all come together in a live setting was a treat for the ears.

Whitney played at Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut. The outdoor venue was seemingly made for Whitney’s music, a charming place tucked outside the more urban areas of New Haven. Connecticut’s greenery gently swayed in the evening summer winds as the band came out on stage, serving as a wonderful backdrop for the performance ahead.

What makes Whitney unique is the amount of instrumentation present within each track: A mix of keys, trumpet, electric, and acoustic guitar – oftentimes all playing at once and seamlessly receding in and out of songs. With so much going on in terms of the production, Whitney’s songs never feel cluttered with too many elements. While this is undoubtedly clear in the studio recordings of their tracks, it was captivating to see it come to life when the band performed together in a live setting.

On drums and acting as the lead vocalist, Julien Ehrlich’s voice sounds just as smooth and light as it does in the studio. The drumming feels like an extension of his voice, along with all of his fellow bandmates’ respective contributions. Their performance came together beautifully in the opening track on the setlist, “Valleys (My Love),” a song that perfectly characterizes their discography. The lyricism is evocative of summer imagery and the lightness that comes with romance, a sentiment clear through the band’s unmistakable joy while playing live.

I never wanna fade away
Wanna turn as the seasons change
And every time you come around
Well the days of the year just slow down
My love, my love, my love

– “Valleys (My Love),” Whitney

Songs that particularly showed off Whitney’s musical prowess and expert level of sonics were tracks like “Polly” and “Friend of Mine.” The amount of layers present within the studio recording of these tracks, from textured vocals to the keys that are seamlessly intertwined with guitar chords and trumpet, makes for a rich listening experience.

The tracks feel even more impactful and brain-scratching thanks to the almost telekinetic, invisible interactions among the bandmates of Whitney, taking two of their most beloved songs and displaying an incredible feat of collaboration and palpable love for the music they’ve been a part of. There were a number of moments when concert goers witnessed the gratifying expressions painted across the band members’ faces, taking songs that already bring about warmth and levity and amping it up to the highest extent in real time.

Whitney performed two unreleased tracks during the set, titled “Dandelions” and “Back to the Wind.” While the sound of these songs isn’t markedly different from what Whitney has put out in the past, they certainly lean even further into what makes tracks like “Polly” and “Friend of Mine” so strong. It takes genuine talent to keep an audience, especially as an opener, engaged while playing new material. However, with the melting pot of sonics on these two new songs, concert attendees seemed earnestly surprised, entertained, and almost in awe of the musical precision they were seeing before them. While the band have not officially announced a new LP is on the way, they released a single titled “Darling” in late May, and with the promotion of two additional singles during a live show, fans can certainly anticipate more music from Whitney soon.

Before Whitney passed things over to Caamp, they closed with their most popular track, “No Woman.” Almost emblematic of where the band have fallen sonically, “No Woman” begins quietly and slowly builds to a crescendo where each musician is able to shine. The last 60 seconds of the nearly four-minute track are almost entirely instrumental, a dance of all the pieces that come together to create Whitney’s distinct jam-band sound. Considering what “Dandelions” and “Back to the Wind” sounded like, longtime supporters and new fans alike may hear more of the addictive soundscapes they’re hungry for after seeing them live at Westville Music Bowl.

Outside of opening for Caamp, the band also announced a Summer ’25 North American headlining tour that will kick off on July 20th in Lake Tahoe, CA, with stops in Canada, the East Coast, and the Midwest. Head to Caamp’s website to see where and when you can catch Whitney live, and find their headline tour dates below: