The Whips Turn Growing Pains into Connection on New EP From Kansas, With Love

The EP marks a defining moment for the four-piece – singer-keyboardist Max Cooper, guitarist and co-vocalist Max Indiveri, bassist Quinn Cosgrove, and drummer Miles Patterson – as they channel the lived experience of their mid-twenties into songs that feel intimate, direct, and unguarded. It also arrives in the wake of Cooper’s high-profile appearance on The Voice, where he earned a rare four-chair turn and joined Michael Bublé’s team earlier this season, bringing new visibility to a band that has already spent years building its foundation the long way.

“Tired of Pretending” looks straight at the situationship math so many people in their twenties learn the hard way. Max Cooper sings lead here, and you can feel why he turned four chairs on The Voice. The performance lives in the details: the way he leans into a line, the way the band leaves room around him, the way the hook catches the frustration of doing all the couple things without getting the one thing you actually asked for. It is sharp without getting bitter. It’s also the kind of song that makes a casual listener stop scrolling and listen all the way through.

Many listeners first discovered the band online. Early on, The Whips gained traction through call-and-response solo battles and left-turn funk covers that took off on TikTok and Instagram, with one clip meant for friends waking up to a million views and others climbing far beyond that. With the growth came the risk of being boxed in as an internet-first act. Instead, the band leaned into what felt authentic: community, curiosity, and the joy of playing without pretense. Those same fans now show up in real rooms, singing along and lingering after shows like it’s a friend group rather than a crowd.

That sense of closeness carries into From Kansas, With Love. The EP was tracked in the band’s 10×10 bedroom studio, with live drums cut in a larger room and everything else shaped at their own pace. Self-production is central to their process. Without a clock running, they followed the emotional lead of each song rather than forcing it into a lane. The result is melodic, open-hearted rock built on keys and guitars, focused without feeling rigid.

Lyrically, the songs sit firmly in the terrain of early adulthood. They look at love and friendship without armor or posturing, unfolding like late-night conversations about direction, belonging, and self-respect. That perspective first came into focus on the band’s earlier single “Together in Agony,” which introduced the project’s emotional core and was paired with a music video that mirrored its quiet tension and release. The title reflects that same balance. From Kansas speaks to place and perspective. With Love reflects how the band wants to send these songs into the world.

The Whips have earned the confidence to be this direct. Their earliest tours crossed seven states in seven days, breaking even with a minimal streaming footprint. Since then, they’ve steadily built rooms in cities like Chicago, New York, and Nashville. From Kansas, With Love is the first time all of that lands on tape with the clarity they always aimed for. It sounds like four friends turning the page and writing down what they see. It sounds like youth with its eyes wide open. And if you’ve ever been in that place between who you were and who you’re becoming, you’ll hear yourself in it too.

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