On October 11th, Houston-based trio Waterparks released their third full-length album, FANDOM. Their first release through Hopeless Records, in my opinion, is their best release to date. Sonically FANDOM is a solid piece of work from start to finish, and I feel like it is safe to say that Waterparks has truly found a sound that transcends genre.
Track 1: “Cherry Red”
I can’t think of a more appropriate opener for this album. The cinematic, synth-driven instrumental, reminiscent of an 80’s pop song, sets high expectations for what’s to follow on FANDOM. Knight serenades us with gut-wrenching lyrics, that fall in trend with his love of using colors to paint an image of his emotions. “Cherry red / You know I died for you / Sour green / We both lost me.” In the best way, “Cherry Red” feels like it’s straight from a coming of age 80’s movie. It would play over the most pivotal scene in a movie, which makes opening FANDOM with “Cherry Red” even more of a perfect choice. As you listen through the album as a whole, it will only be made clearer that this song’s placement on the album was very deliberate.
Track 2: “Watch What Happens Next”
Here is where you start to realize FANDOM won’t have the restraint that Waterparks have had in their past releases. “Watch What Happens Next” is full of scathing lyrics detailing Knight’s views on the band’s last label, fan expectations/behaviors, and the music industry in general. These lyrics were written with a type of honesty that’s Knight has always been capable of (i.e. “Little Violence” from Double Dare), but there was no holding in any area of “Watch What Happens Next”. Honest lyrics laid over a guitar and drum-driven backing make for a track that most closely resembles their past releases, but don’t expect Waterparks to keep themselves in a familiar box going forward on FANDOM.
Track 3: “Dream Boy”
The sound of “Dream Boy” is very different than that of “Watch What Happens Next”, but it’s clear that every song is very meticulously placed on the tracklist. “Dream Boy” is the song that placed Waterparks on radio countdowns next to artists like Lizzo, Jonas Brothers, and Taylor Swift. Though its sound is pop through and through, it maintains one of the most core themes on FANDOM. “Dream Boy” is appropriately pop sounding, to showcase pop culture icons being held to unobtainable standards by fans.
Track 4: “Easy to Hate”
“Easy to Hate” starts with a fun, high energy instrumental, and leads into an even more exciting chorus. The layered vocals in the chorus make it a great sing along to, and the cool solo in the bridge makes it a very danceable song, as well. “Easy to Hate” showcases some of Knight’s best vocals featured on FANDOM. This song is easily one of my favorite songs from the album
Track 5: “High Definition”
“High Definition” is a stripped-down emotional ballad. It details what it feels like to want to love someone, but realizing how hard it is to do with baggage from a previous relationship. Throughout the song, the background noises of everyday life can be heard under the heartbreakingly honest lyrics. It adds a layer of emotion to the song, echoing what it’s like to feel the isolation that is the theme of “High Definition.”
Track 6: “Telephone”
This song is, no joke, written about a girl lead singer Awsten Knight saw once in Target, but never introduced himself to. That alone makes it a fitting choice to follow “High Definition.” What better than a song written about a love that will never come to fruition because contact wasn’t initiated, to follow up a song about wanting to love someone, but staying alone because it hurts less? “Telephone” is a complete 180 from “High Definition,” despite being in the same realm of emotion. A punchy piano is maintained through the song, and the sweet falsettos from Knight, make it sound very much like a cute love song.
Track 7: “Group Chat”
“My name is Otto / My name is Geoff / My name is Awsten / And we’re all friends.” Now add a beat. That’s it. That’s “Group Chat”. The trio has teased deeper meanings behind “Group Chat”, but for the most part, it’s been left up to speculation from fans. It’s an interesting interlude for the album to say the least.
Track 8: “Turbulent”
I think “Turbulent” is one of the weaker tracks featured on this album, but being a weaker track on FANDOM still ranks it high in their catalog. It’s different for Waterparks, both lyrically and sonically, but it still works. The lyrics keep in line with the honesty of this album. It reminds me of a boss battle in a video game, particularly it’s ending. It’s a song that demands to be played loudly and unapologetically.
Track 9: “Never Bloom Again”
There is a stark difference between “Never Bloom Again” and the previous track “Turbulent”. Both songs are written about the same relationship, but at different points in time. “Never Bloom Again” was teased as far back as the beginning of the Entertainment era. This song had been floating around for some time, after being hinted at, and teased at during live shows. Most fans had given up hope on hearing a full studio version. Fortunately, it was given it’s time to shine on FANDOM, and it did not disappoint. The heartbreaking lyrics, paired with beautiful harmonies and acoustic guitar, work perfectly to convey just how bad it hurts to love someone who drained absolutely everything from you.
Track 10: “I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore”
It’s hard to describe this song. It’s not easy to imagine what a song with a title like “I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore” would sound like, but after hearing it, I couldn’t imagine it sounding any other way. It’s upbeat and quirky, and you can hear that it seemed like it was fun for the trio to record. The title itself reminds me of the notoriously long song titles from emo bands of the early 2000’s. Unlike those songs, where the content of the song had next to nothing to do with the full sentence length title, “I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore” is actually one of many tongue in cheek lyrics strung through the song. The song starts, “I’m sick of all this / ‘how’d you get your band name?’/ ‘Is that your real first name?’/ ‘can you text and can you follow back / ‘cause it’s my birthday?’ / no one cares what I want / just what I’ve got / and if you sit and count it up / it’s really not a lot.” In the context of the song, you wonder who the target of the song is; Fans? Exes? Both? This is a song that doesn’t scream relatable, as it’s so specific to Knight’s personal situation, which makes its unique sound even more fitting.
Track 11: “War Crimes”
“War Crimes” is a perfect example of what drew me into Waterparks from the start. Their clever way of combining real instruments with unique electronic sounds is showcased wonderfully here. “War Crimes” has the strongest instrumentals on FANDOM. Knight sings of his life, and the realizations made, as Waterparks has grown in popularity. “In my paradise / I play along / I love it all,” expresses how much easier it could be to be complacent in life, instead of kicking back against bands, fans, and relationships that have disappointed Knight himself. Solid drums and an insanely catchy bass line carry the verses and choruses seamlessly into an impressive bass solo and an angry, vocally driven bridge.
Track 12: “[Reboot]”
“[Reboot]” is one of the standout tracks on FANDOM, mostly due to it being unlike any other Waterparks song in existence. Quick phrasing and biting lyrics make it something special on the FANDOM track listing. While “[Reboot]” isn’t one of my personal favorites, there is no denying it serves its purpose on the album.
Track 13: “Worst”
It’s clear that Waterparks wanted “Worst” to be released into the world. FANDOM’s “Worst” is a new rendition of the song Knight leaked while still signed with Equal Vision Records, despite knowing there would be backlash from the label. The lyrics “am I dealing with a breakup or a break down” sum up the entire theme of this song. “Worst” starts with sounds which Knight says are outside air/noise from Houston, which he recorded around the time he wrote “Worst”. That alone shows the personal touches and thoughts that went into recording and creating this album. “Worst” is another song on this album that falls slightly into the acoustic realm, but the many elements of this song outside of the acoustic guitar, make this a very interesting listen. I’ve listened to this song too many times to keep track, but with each listen, I find a new layer of instrumental to focus on.
Track 14: “Zone Out”
Very aptly named, “Zone Out” sounds like a lullaby. It’s essentially a reprise to “Dream Boy”. According to Knight, “Zone Out” was an important song for the overall context of FANDOM. This is where the “dream boy” concept we hear in several other songs stemmed from.
Track 15: “I Felt Younger When We Met”
“I Felt Younger When We Met” is my overall favorite track from FANDOM. Everything about this song is solid, The song starts straight into layered vocals, “I said, ‘I love you to death,’ / So, I must be dead,” dropping an electronic synth beat, that ties back into that epic movie score feeling. Light drum beats, laced with twinkling keyboard melody, move the verses forward. While very Waterparks-esque guitar riff backs the chorus. It’s at the end of “I Felt Younger When We Met” where we discover, the entire album loops front to back, as “I Felt Younger When We Met” seamlessly transitions from the fading ticking of a clock, back into the synth beat of “Cherry Red”
According to Knight, FANDOM’s tracklisting was put together to represent the hurdles and setbacks of the grieving process, which I feel like it does amazingly. It’s astounding that absolutely nothing this band does is without purpose. Everything down to the album art was planned to a T. This is an album meant to be listened to in order, without skips, Waterparks made that experience not only enjoyable but memorable. Every song will leave you thinking about one thing or another. It’s refreshing to see a band not feel like they need to maintain one type of sound throughout their career and move on to do what makes them feel satisfied as artists. FANDOM is a top notch release through and through, and it’s success thus far has been well deserved.
