If you’re from Chicago, you may recognize the name Taylor Phelan from his time as frontman for the indie/alternative band The Canes. They split a few years ago and Taylor found himself as a contestant on NBC’s The Voice. Now he’s preparing to release his first solo EP this summer, and playing some shows to introduce his new music to audiences. He hits Chicago this Saturday, July 8th, at Martyr’s.

The lead single is a slickly-produced alt-pop tune with just enough splashes of guitar to get some crossover play on rock stations. It features a lot of whistling, which I like. And there’s a string section of the song backed by some echoing distortion that sounds really cool.

I’ve been impressed with the two Voice alums I’ve seen play live so far, Todd Kessler and Alexis Marceaux (Alexis & The Samurai). I imagine I’ll feel the same after seeing Taylor now that I’ve heard some of his music.