White Whale is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band from Lawrence, Kansas, composed of former members of

Butterglory Butterglory was an American indie rock band from Lawrence, Kansas. Contemporaries of indie rock groups like Pavement and Archers of Loaf, the band released four albums with Merge Records. History Composed of Matt Suggs Matt Suggs is an Ameri ...

The Get Up Kids The Get Up Kids are an American rock band from Olathe, Kansas. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-1990s Midwest emo scene, otherwise known as the " second wave" of emo music. Their second album '' Something to Write Home Abo ...

, and Thee Higher Burning Fire. They are signed to

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...

and released their first full-length album

WW1 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

on July 25, 2006.

Background

When

Matt Suggs Matt Suggs is an American indie rock musician. Born and raised in Visalia, California, Suggs was a member of Butterglory in the 1990s before launching a solo career in 2000. He released two albums on Merge Records, which Richie Unterberger desc ...

, former lead singer of

, began touring for his 2003 solo album, Amigo Row, he recruited former Higher Burning Fire drummer John Anderson, keyboardist and guitarist Dustin Kinsey (also of

The New Amsterdams The New Amsterdams is an American band featuring Matthew Pryor of The Get Up Kids. In a certain sense, they represented the acoustic counter-project to The Get up Kids. In contrast to The Get Up Kids, this project features acoustic guitars, the ...

), and guitarist Zach Holland. Having played together off and on since 2000 they decided to form White Whale adding ex-Get Up Kids bassist Robert Pope. The band has been called both a

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize ...

and an indie super group. Merge Records release their first album on July 25, 2006, prompting state representatives

Barbara Ballard Barbara W. Ballard (born November 14, 1944) is a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 44th district. Born in Petersburg, Virginia, she has served since 1993. Prior to her election to the House, Ballard ser ...

and Ann Mah to have the day declared "White Whale Day" in Kansas.

Discography

* ''

'' (2006) The single "Matchbook" was included on the 2007 compilation ''First Blood'' on OxBlood Records.

Reviews

IGN
(8.6)
Pitchfork
(6.9)
''Independent Weekly''

JamBase

References

Indie rock musical groups from Kansas The Get Up Kids Merge Records artists {{US-indie-rock-band-stub