Local band preparing on working on new album

The Whats were formed around August 2021 as four high school students in an indie-rock band, with original members Alex Shafer (drummer), Ella Reichert (vocals and guitar), Haley Palmer (bass), and Zeke Jeske-Rose (guitar) now replaced by Aidan Hillman-Baker.

“Their sound and dynamic has improved so much since they’ve been playing, I was there since their first show and in recent shows they sound more full and polished” said Lila Lobb who has been a fan since the beginning.

They had their first ever show in October of 2022 opening for local group Surf Dads, Palmer being very excited but also very nervous because many of the people in attendance weren’t there to see them. 

They released their first extended play (EP) on April 20, 2024, “Crash and Burn” with four songs on the album and having around 91 monthly listeners on spotify at the time but now have 120 listeners.  

The songs from “Crash and Burn” talked about many high school issues but with the album they are currently working on their goal is to centre around mental health, adulthood, relationships, giving it a feeling of nostalgia and melancholy.

“I write most of our lyrics,” Reichert said. “I feel like they’re a reflection of my soul and what’s happening in my life currently.”

They want to take their time with this album wanting “a bit of a slow burn, and that’s reflected in the songs as of right now” Reichert said.

“Our writing process has changed quite a bit over the years,” said Shafer. “It feels a lot more deliberate, only committing to the stuff we feel will really hit. This leads to less songs, but the quality is much higher.” 

With the goal of having a new album come out around summer but doesn’t have a set date because they want quality work. They also really want to focus on doing more shows in Regina, Saskatoon, and potentially a tour. 

The band has a couple confirmed dates for shows on April 4 in Saskatoon, April 5 in Regina, Feb. 6, in Edmonton, Feb. 8, in Drumheller at cold bones fest, and more information for places and times can be found on The Whats instagram. 

With having more shows and having music put out on Spotify the growth of people and support have definitely made a difference with the atmosphere during shows. People have come to shows knowing the lyrics and will sing along, which Palmer said made her emotional the first time she saw it.

“It’s nice to see that the local music scene is growing and becoming more popular with a new crowd, ” said Shafer.  “I’ve noticed more and more young people coming out to shows.” 

With starting a band so young, members had a difficult time just finding the right time to practise as schedules didn’t line up and getting their name out at the start “but I’d say being a younger group has led to people booking us to try to tap into that younger demographic” said Shafer.