by Kevin Crandall (@kevin_crandall1)
The last remnants of Ocean Beach’s Playland amusement park have been scattered throughout the Bay Area since its closure in 1972. The abjectly terrifying Laffing Sal is currently housed in the Musée Mécanique interactive museum in San Francisco, while the beloved carousel ride has been restored to its former glory, currently operating in the Yerba Buena Gardens between Third and Fourth St. The aptly named Playland-Not-At-The-Beach in El Cerrito contains a multitude of artifacts from its namesake, including never-used tickets, employee uniforms, and the last remaining life-size Walking Charley wooden figure from the Fun House. Joining this list of relics is Whitney’s Playland, the indie-rock project formed by Bay Area music vets Inna Showalter and George Tarlson (and currently a four-piece, having added the talents of Evan Showalter and Paul DeMartini). The group takes its name from the defunct park, sometimes called Whitney’s Playland after its owner George Whitney, who ran the place until his death in 1958.
Formed in the depths of the pandemic, Whitney’s Playland derives inspiration from the band members’ upbringings in and around San Francisco, as well as their experience within the Bay Area indie circuit. Their debut project, Sunset Sea Breeze, presents a blend of folk-rock soundscapes that ebbs between campfire guitar fuzziness and garage rock muses. The album begins with a hazy guitar ballad reminiscent of Jeff Mangum ruminations, before transitioning to the raucous electrics of “Mercy.” Haunted vocals float over acoustic guitar on “Tiger By The Tail” while, just two tracks later, “A Rumor” showcases fingerpicking and a harmony blend that would feel right at home on the Carrie & Lowell tracklist. The range of vibrations is impressive, especially when you consider the project clocks in at just a shade under 28 and a half minutes.
Whitney’s Playland describes their music as exploring the “usual things in life: love and loss,” adding that these explorations might occasionally have a satirical tinge to them. While the descriptor is certainly accurate, the way in which the SF band approaches these reflections on Sunset Sea Breeze is much more clever than their Bandcamp copy gives them credit for. “Garbage in a Can” deftly conflates garbage being taken to the dump with isolation and loneliness. Further along the album Inna Showalter croons about a dead relationship and narcissism amidst a violin melody on “Sketches of Dino.” Both explorations maneuver through metaphors while remaining honest in their intent, refusing to be bogged down by needless jargon. Love and loss might be “the usual things in life,” but the way in which Whitney’s Playland are able to execute their descriptions is stunning, whether it be trash-can parables or a simple refrain of “go ahead.”
Tucked in the center of Sunset Sea Breeze is “Motor Away,” a track with an air of familiarity to it for any 90’s alt-rock fan. The song is a cover of the cult-classic Guided By Voices track, the only commercial single off of their 1995 album Alien Lanes. Whitney’s Playland trades the Dayton legend’s headbanging electric for a lo-fi melody for Showalter to croon, mellowing out the feel. This transformation is representative of the appeal the SF band has—a classic alternative rock feel with dreamy pop innovation. Whitney’s Playland has the ability to pay homage to the music that has shaped their lives while infusing it with their own spunk. The result is the musical equivalent of experiencing deja vu when visiting a new country—familiarity amidst new excitements.
For all its influences and dexterity, at its core, Sunset Sea Breeze is simply a relaxing album. The distortion of guitar melodies softens even the rowdiest of chords and Inna Showalter’s voice could calm stormy seas. The title is an ode to the Sunset district in which three of the bandmates attended high school (another SF easter egg), but if it was simply named after the energy within the project, no one would blink an eye. Whitney’s Playland presents the perfect hammocking album, and does so with depth, character, and history—an impressive feat, and one I look forward to indulging in for many restful days to come.