“Everything’s Going to Be Ok”: An Interview with Whitney: 10 Years of Light Upon The Lake

Last Updated on 2026-07-14 by a-indie

I still remember exactly how it felt the first time I heard Whitney’s debut album, 『Light Upon The Lake』. If I had to sum it up in one word: overwhelmingly nostalgic.

What is nostalgia, really? It isn’t simply memory. It’s an affection for, and longing toward, a past that has slipped away, tinged with the quiet sadness of knowing that time will never come back.

Some memories are gentle ones, the kind that warm your heart every time they resurface. People sometimes call these sepia-toned memories, but the ones that truly stay with us never actually fade. They return vividly enough that you can recall the exact warmth, the exact feeling of that moment, always carrying with them a faint trace of wistfulness.

Whitney’s music has always sounded like it’s tracing those very contradictions with a fingertip, running gently along the edge of memory. The nostalgia their sound carries can hit you so hard it catches you off guard.

To mark the release of the 10th Anniversary Edition of that very debut, we sat down with Julien to talk about the past decade, from his memories of making the record to where his head is at now, and his thoughts on last year’s 『Small Talk』. These are honest reflections that could only come after ten years have passed. We hope you’ll take the time to listen.

An Interview with Whitney

Artist: Julien Ehrlich(Vo / Dr)
Interviewer: Wakiki
Translation, Editing, and Proofreading: BELONG Media / A-indie

On 『Light Upon The Lake』10th Anniversary Edition

Whitney-「No Woman」(Official Video)
from the 1st Studio Album 『Light Upon The Lake』

Wakiki: It’s been ten years since 『Light Upon The Lake』 was released. The fact that you’re now putting out a 10th Anniversary Edition suggests this album remains special, not just to fans, but to the two of you as well. Looking back now, what does this album mean to you? And what made you want to release a 10th Anniversary Edition?

Julien: Since LUTL is our debut record it was really the first chance we’ve had to sit down and reflect on the first 10 years of the band. It’s never a guarantee that your project will even last beyond an album or two so I think we were mostly releasing an anniversary edition to honor the last 10 years and how grateful we are that we stumbled upon the Whitney sound in the first place.

Wakiki: When you think back to the time you were making 『Light Upon The Lake』, what’s the first scene or memory that comes to mind? And what was your relationship with music like back then, what were you feeling as you made it?

Julien: There’s so many scenes that come to mind but I think a crucial moment during the album writing process happened in January of 2015 after my grandfather passed away. Max and I moved out of our apartment with no backup plan and went up to a small cabin that Max’s family owned in northern Illinois to write the lyrics to “Follow.” I think that’s when the record sort of shifted from something that felt like a fun art project to something truly personal and vital to our lives.

Wakiki: We’ve heard that the feeling of being “melancholic but also happy” was central to the themes of 『Light Upon The Lake』. That sense of melancholy and happiness, nostalgia and wistfulness, existing at once still feels like something that defines Whitney’s music today. Why do you think you’ve always been drawn to that kind of emotion?

Julien: I’m not sure other than the fact that we love sad lyrics paired with catchy hooks! And we’re not afraid to write a song that sounds bouncy and heartfelt.

Wakiki: Back when you were making 『Light Upon The Lake』, what kind of band did you want Whitney to become? Looking at the band you envisioned then versus Whitney now, is there anything that turned out as you expected, or anything that surprised you?

Julien: That’s a good question. I constantly wonder what 2015 Max and Julien would think if they heard the songs we are making now and I think for the most part they would be really excited about them. I also don’t think we would really be interested in continuing this project if we didn’t feel completely creatively fulfilled by the music so I feel grateful and lucky that we still are after a decade.

Wakiki: Listening to the demo recordings included on the 10th Anniversary Edition, we felt an intimacy and warmth that’s different from the finished versions. What made you want to include these, and how do you hope fans will receive them?

Julien: The “Dave’s Song (4 Track Demo)” recording is the first recording we ever made together so obviously that one is extremely meaningful for us. Hearing the actual birth of the project is pretty wild. Golden Days (Finger Picking Version) also has such a nice warm and haunted feeling to it that doesn’t necessarily exist anywhere else on the record so it felt like an obvious choice to include.

Whitney – Dave’s Song (4-Track Demo) [Official Audio] from the Album 『Light Upon The Lake 10th Anniversary Edition』

Wakiki: Some listeners may be discovering Whitney for the first time through this 『Light Upon The Lake』10th Anniversary Edition. If you had to describe this album in one sentence today, what would you say?

Julien: That record to me is the album equivalent of when you’re going through a really tough time and someone you trust tells you “Everything’s going to be ok” and means it. So yeah “Everything’s going to be ok.”