Waterparks has finally released their third full-length album FANDOM. It really feels like it’s been forever since Entertainment, despite it having only been released a year and a half ago. The Entertainment era went by in a flash; so much seemed to happen in that short period of time. Waterparks was touring non-stop and there were so many song leaks by frontman Awsten Knight himself.
The track list is as follows:
- Cherry Red
- Watch What Happens Next
- Dream Boy
- Easy to Hate
- High Definition
- Telephone
- Group Chat
- Turbulent
- Never Bloom Again
- I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore
- War Crimes
- [Reboot]
- Worst
- Zone Out
- I Felt Younger When We Met
I first listened to this album front to back with my eyes closed in the dark to focus on the sounds, and to really be able to get into each track on the album. It really is hard to describe how it made me feel, because there are so many different ways that each of the songs pull me. It is a heavily experimental album and at first, I wasn’t sure what to think of it.
The standouts on this album for me have to be “I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore,” “War Crimes,” “[Reboot],” “Cherry Red,” and “I Felt Younger When We Met.” They all seem like they could be a part of a movie soundtrack, as weird as that is to say. I can picture these songs all being the soundtrack to different movies. Perhaps it’s the film major in me speaking, but there are very few songs that I hear from the “alt” scene that could be in a movie.
I do have to put in the songs that I often skip, and that aren’t really my favorites, of course. I have to be in a very specific mood to want to listen to “Zone Out,” “Dream Boy,” and “Never Bloom Again.” This doesn’t make them bad songs, I just really think the others listed above these outshine them.
In comparison to their last albums, FANDOM is extremely different and experimental. It is so far away from both Double Dare and Entertainment in the best way. Entertainment seemed to serve as a transitional album to be able to do something as different and experimental as FANDOM is, and it did its job well. Each song on FANDOM manages to tell its own story while carrying the story throughout the album.
All in all, the album is fantastic front to back, and it leaves so much room for interpretation. I find myself relating to a few of the songs very personally, and if I feel personally moved by an album, it’s god tier for me. I can’t wait to hear the new album live and how Waterparks’ stage show is going to change and evolve to incorporate their new sound.
FANDOM is available on all streaming services. Get tickets to the FANDOM tour by clicking here!
