Whife
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Whife is a pop group whose retro feel and soulful, heart-wrenching delivery offer up far more than standard pop fare. With slyly addictive beats, the tracks distill and articulate a profound and familiar longing (for summer, for love, for the future). These anthems will remind you what you adored about dance tracks the first time you heard them, and in your complete enchantment finally free you of the lurking fear that you won't hear as good again. Catchy and captivating, every hook on this glistening debut transports listeners to a youthful collective past and to the hidden recesses of that still untapped desire, while remaining fun, danceable, and at first listen- blissfully carefree.
Founded and produced by Jon Ehrens, who is joined by his sister Emily Ehrens for vocals, Whife is a lyrical romp through pop history, infusing the beat driven dance model with avant sensibilities. During production the impressive sibling duo worked with many local figureheads in the Baltimore music scene, including Jenn Wasner from Wye Oak, Chris Freeland of Oxes, and Andrew Bernstein of the Dan Deacon Ensemble, reports Reverbnation.com, also noting that Ehrens' previous efforts include The Art Department, whose Paperwork/Birdwork album was named one of the Top 10 albums from Baltimore in 2010 by the Baltimore City Paper.
Whife has generated national buzz about their eclectic record coming out at the end of May. Creator, Jon Ehrens has mastered the art of creating danceable nostalgic tracks that also seem ahead of their time. Synth sounds that will take you back to early Madonna and Talking Heads, overlapped with experimental saxophone breaks by Andrew Bernstein and guitar riffs and solos composed by Jon that are reminiscent of Teena Maries from back in the day. Jon's sister Emmy Ehrens channels her idols growing up, to lay down vocals on her brother's tracks that add a mainstream twist to this fresh new sound. These are only some of the aspects of White Life that make it so fun and addictive.
- Washington City Paper
Whife songs often offer chintzy, almost campy vestiges of the 80s pop and R&B that influenced the project, from the slap bass on "Time Is Wasting" to the quasi-rap staccato vocals of Flirp But the album never feels too much like a tongue-in-cheek retro indulgence, partly because the Ehrens siblings both sing their asses off, and partly because Jonathan leaves so much of his own unique musical sensibility embedded in the sound, including a snaky guitar line on "Second Look" that could be right out of an Art Department song. Whife's combination of homage and originality starts out melodic and mournful, but gradually turns skronky and dischordant.
- Baltimore City Paper
Founded and produced by Jon Ehrens, who is joined by his sister Emily Ehrens for vocals, Whife is a lyrical romp through pop history, infusing the beat driven dance model with avant sensibilities. During production the impressive sibling duo worked with many local figureheads in the Baltimore music scene, including Jenn Wasner from Wye Oak, Chris Freeland of Oxes, and Andrew Bernstein of the Dan Deacon Ensemble, reports Reverbnation.com, also noting that Ehrens' previous efforts include The Art Department, whose Paperwork/Birdwork album was named one of the Top 10 albums from Baltimore in 2010 by the Baltimore City Paper.
Whife has generated national buzz about their eclectic record coming out at the end of May. Creator, Jon Ehrens has mastered the art of creating danceable nostalgic tracks that also seem ahead of their time. Synth sounds that will take you back to early Madonna and Talking Heads, overlapped with experimental saxophone breaks by Andrew Bernstein and guitar riffs and solos composed by Jon that are reminiscent of Teena Maries from back in the day. Jon's sister Emmy Ehrens channels her idols growing up, to lay down vocals on her brother's tracks that add a mainstream twist to this fresh new sound. These are only some of the aspects of White Life that make it so fun and addictive.
- Washington City Paper
Whife songs often offer chintzy, almost campy vestiges of the 80s pop and R&B that influenced the project, from the slap bass on "Time Is Wasting" to the quasi-rap staccato vocals of Flirp But the album never feels too much like a tongue-in-cheek retro indulgence, partly because the Ehrens siblings both sing their asses off, and partly because Jonathan leaves so much of his own unique musical sensibility embedded in the sound, including a snaky guitar line on "Second Look" that could be right out of an Art Department song. Whife's combination of homage and originality starts out melodic and mournful, but gradually turns skronky and dischordant.
- Baltimore City Paper
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