October Album Recommendation: Waterpark's FANDOM
As you all know by now, I am convinced the album as an art piece is not dead. With the introduction of streaming services, yes, a lot of people gave up on albums, opting instead for only selecting singles for their playlists or shuffling all of an artist's music. There's benefits to this new way of consuming music, but I'm telling you, there is still something to be said for listening to a cohesive album in order, and Waterpark's FANDOM proves my point.
Released on Friday, October 11, FANDOM serves two purposes: deconstructing front man Awsten Knight's break up and creating a dialogue about fan culture. Fan culture, or fandom, is such a multifaceted subculture that no one talks about or studies in depth. When it is discussed, it's usually being praised as a safe space for people to freely and openly praise something they love. Very rarely is the toxicity or harmfulness mentioned. This is what Waterparks is tackling.
Between scrapping an entire album (rip "Friendly Reminder"), ending a pretty public long term relationship, and maintaining an online personality, Knight, and consequently, Waterparks, had a lot to draw from in creating FANDOM. I think it would have been easy for ideas to get messy and convoluted with so much going on, but this band, more so than any other I can think of, understands the value of space and silence, just as much as sound.
As for the music, it's cinematic, with transitions between each track, and it was intended to be listened to all the way through, in order, like a traditional album. Even the album art reinforces this with the [R] rating in the bottom corner and the tagline, "Presented by Waterparks, Coming to Theaters, Saturday at 7PM." Just from looking at that big orange, which is a clock at 7 if you look hard enough, we know this album is something new and different.
In addition, the songs are not lyrically driven as almost all of my favorites are. Loving bands like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance the way I do, I tend to prefer my lyrics wrapped in metaphors and concepts. But, this isn't the 2000's anymore (sadly), and the rock scene has changed dramatically since then. Waterparks is conscious of this, marketing toward the music consumers of today, people who find power in the short, simple, and explicit. We're in the age of hip hop and if rock wants to remain relevant, it needs to evolve in order to keep up.
Waterparks is the new sound of alternative rock for this generation.
That being said, buckle up, because FANDOM is a journey from start to end. If you can, I recommend listening alone, with headphones, in the dark. You'll see why.
"Cherry Red":
Now, THIS is how you start an album. It's short, but cinematic and immediately invites us into FANDOM. I wish I had a more eloquent way to say this, but the sounds they use are beautiful and broad. I imagine when separated out, they'd be extremely odd and incoherent, but together, they are brilliant. It sort of gives me The 1975 vibes, in the best way.
"Cherry red you know I'd die for you," Knight sings. From the jump, we learn just how important color is to Waterparks. For fans who've been around for a while, like myself, we know each album cycle or era corresponds to a color. That color tends to correspond with Knight's hair, but we'll get to that. For now, all you need to know is FANDOM is the green era and yes, this man has highlighter green hair.
The only way I can describe the transition here is the feeling of being pulled back and then thrown forward, like you're on a crazy carnival ride. It works well, thrusting us into...
"Watch What Happens Next":
Let me take you back to 2009. I was eleven. Glee premiered. Fall Out Boy put out their (perhaps best) album, Folie à Deux, and people were mean. Apparently, when rock musicians change their sound as they grow, listeners hate it and call them sellouts, amongst more colorful things. The fandom called the shots back then and they still do, ultimately restricting what artists put out. It's this close-mindedness that Waterparks calls out in this song.
In my opinion, this is one of the strongest lyrical tracks on the album. From calling out the band's old label to referencing "Old Town Road," the lyrics are specific and provocative. For example, "I put auto tune on Worst and / Caught all their disgust," Knight sings, referencing a song that appears later on FANDOM.
While all of the song is meticulous, the bridge is one of the strongest I've heard in the last decade. "Can I pay rent / (Sure but not much else) / Can I try new sounds / (Go fuck yourself)," Knight sings, accurately capturing artists' frustrations with their hypocritical fans in a tug-and-release. Add in the lyric switch in the last chorus, "I'll never be enough / Until it's too late," and we've got an anthem that should have us seriously second-guessing how we interact with music.
"Dream Boy":
The transition into this track emulates a record player switching sides, signaling that what we hear next will be thematically linked to what came before, but it will have another perspective to it. Similar to "Watch What Happens Next," this song addresses fan behavior, specifically fan expectations.
With an online presence like Knight's, someone who types in all caps, dyes his hair crazy colors, and generally tweets questionable fleeting thoughts, it is easy for fans to build an image of him in their heads. Some fans feel entitled to every aspect of his life, solely because he is so open and honest with his art and online personality. None of these people really know him, however, and this song is about just that: the impossibility of living up to the image of you people have created.
Modeled after bubblegum pop, it's no wonder this is Waterparks first song to get radio play. Between cute vocal synths, tambourine, and traditional pop song structure, this track is just plain fun to listen to. "Build-a-Boy / Pick my pieces," Knight sings, dehumanizing himself and managing to sum up the entire message in just one line.
"Easy To Hate":
A bop. Catchy and carefree, this is the Waterparks we've heard before and it still goes just as hard. The lyrics contradict the overall tone of the song, something that the band does throughout the record, and listeners leave this track feeling torn and bittersweet.
I briefly talked about how important color is to Waterparks, but this track solidifies it. "My blue and green / They turned to red." Knight has heterochromia, two different color eyes, and this personal detail really adds to the song. "It's like you were yellow but the lights were red." Throughout Waterparks catalogue, the lover has been coded as yellow, and this line tells us that, in hindsight, there were ignored warning signs, there was red.
Musically, this is one of those songs I have to sing along to. It's just plain well-written. The guitar solo is an art that has been lost in recent years, but we get a quick one in this track. I wish it was longer, I wish alternative rock would bring them back, but for now, I'll take what I can get. Thanks for this one, Geoff.
"High Definition":
For each listen of this album, I end up finding a different favorite track, but without fail, this is always the one I'm left thinking about. It opens with faint background noise of people in coffee shop conversation with a low frequency bass line that continues throughout the track and it's hauntingly beautiful.
Knight is the definition of vulnerable here. This is him telling us, yes, he's living the dream and he's unapologetically making the art he wants to make, but with the rock star lifestyle he's chosen, it is so damn hard to find someone to love. "I'd love to be in love with you enough to write a love song," he sings.
A lot of these lines hurt, but my favorites have to be, "I know I'm not around enough to make me worth the wait / It's like who wants to be close with someone who always goes away?" and "You're so bad at loving people back." Ouch.
I wouldn't consider the vocals to be the strongest part of this band, or the thing that holds them together, BUT they really shine in this track, especially with the backing vocals. Knight outdid himself with this one.
"Telephone":
Perhaps my favorite track is followed by this...my least favorite. It's by no means bad though! Personally, I could do without the first half of the song. Compared to the rest of FANDOM, I'm not sure it is as complex and thought-provoking, but I understand why it's here.
In 2018, Knight tweeted, "SAW A CUTE GIRL AT TARGET AND LIKE ANY NORMAL PERSON WOULD DO, INSTEAD OF INTRODUCING MYSELF I WENT HOME AND WROTE AN OBSESSIVE LOVE SONG ABOUT HER AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING I'VE LISTENED TO ON REPEAT THE LAST 2 DAYS." This past week, he confirmed this is that song.
In the last track, Knight tells us how difficult it is to fall in love, but this is a total 180 from that. This feels like an ode to the process of falling in love. It's cute, sweet, and bright piano clashes hammer the point home.
Personally, I think the track hits its stride at the breakdown at 1:25 into the bridge. The sheer amount of sounds used and another guitar solo redeem this otherwise almost boring song for me. It ends with a creepy, brooding voice saying, "He's losing his mind / And I'm reaping all the benefits," implying that, despite this happy-go-lucky track, things are not going as well as they seem.
"Group Chat":
You're going to want to skip this 15 second track, and I'll admit I often do, but don't on first listen. Musically, there isn't much happening, but the purpose of including it isn't musical at all. For one, this track separates the album into sections in a fun, quirky way that's a trademark for Waterparks. It's a breather for this otherwise pretty heavy album.
In addition, tabloids love starting rumors of band breakups and animosity between members, but fans do it too, oftentimes taking it too far. This track serves as a reminder that these three guys, Otto, Geoff, and Awsten, are friends, no matter what you read, and they're fine. At the end of the day, this album came from a place of love and friendship. It's deep, but it's not that deep.
"Turbulent":
Buckle up, folks.
This was the first single, the first indication of what FANDOM was going to be. In hindsight, I think it's really representative of the fact this album is all over the place sonically and it will definitely catch you off guard.
"You had your own Pete Wentz and Patrick combined," Knight opens the song. We get a Fall Out Boy reference in the first line and we all knew I was going to be on board. Knight loves them almost as much as I do. In terms of the record, this ballsy claim, along with namedropping himself in the second verse, proves Knight is confident as an artist. While I don't find the lyrics of the pre-chorus or chorus particularly insightful or revolutionary, they make it clear how much pain he is in.
This song is much more significant in a musical sense. Half the track is solely instrumental, playing with distortion and sound in a way rock music has never really done before. Gone are the days of classic guitars and chugging bass lines. This is where the future of rock is heading.
"Never Bloom Again":
Following the whirlwind that is "Turbulent" was never going to be an easy task, but this track makes it happen. All of a sudden, Waterparks whips out the acoustics and relies on vocals and lyricism to carry them through this ballad. This is all about that universal feeling after a particularly nasty breakup where you feel like you'll never move on and never love again.
In passing, I've mentioned my issues with how historically rock and pop punk bands have treated women in their songs, and I do take issue with lines like "Cause this is what you've done to me" and "I guess you messed me up," however, I'm willing to forgive them for lyrics in a later verse. "Wait, what am I doing to me? / I'm rolling in the cycle / Regressing back to high school / God, what does that say about me?" Knight sings, acknowledging his own part in the mess. This is why I can still like the song. It isn't solely demonizing the woman who wronged him. It is breaking the mold.
(Side note: "I'll paint you pretty with my syntax." Go ahead and tattoo this line on my face.)
The transition from this track to the next is simply static, which is fitting considering the tone of this song, gently leading us into...
"I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don't Want to Die Anymore":
Another one of my favorites. This is proof that Waterparks is the band of this generation. They speak our modern language, and maybe it's a little on the nose, but it works.
In the first verse, Knight lays it out for us. "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?" People are invasive and fans expect their idols to perform for them constantly, on stage, online, and in real life. By the time he gets to the second verse, Knight talks about how, even though he isn't an icon like Wentz (yet), he's still on the receiving end of the consequences of fame, like death threats. He's cynical as he says they've lost their meaning and casual when he claims, "But I think it's fine, it's cool."
The whole song is off-kilter and twisted. Maybe it's morbid, but it's coming to the realization that you don't want to die anymore, and it somehow sonically portrays this exact feeling. Balanced out with bright guitars and major chords, the beat drives the song and I'm legally obligated to bob my head to it. The vocals have so much character, with little giggles added in here and there. It ends on piano alone, bringing us to...
"War Crimes":
ANOTHER one of my favorites. This is a logical progression for the band to make. It feels like a sequel to "TANTRUM" off the previous album (Entertainment), but a little cleaner and more advanced.
Alright, logically I know Mikey Way had nothing to do with the production of this album and he hasn't since the start of Waterparks, however, the bass in this track is so damn good, I can't help but imagine if he had. From the jump, the tone of this song is grittier and polarizing from the other tracks on the album, making it a stand out.
"It's my fault I miss my friends, I'm lonely every day / Cause they all stayed in Texas when I moved away," hits differently in your early twenties and pretty swiftly sums up the theme of this song: moving forward. He goes on to tell us he's "Your Knight in shining plastic," cleverly playing on his last name to suggest he can't live up to the expectations set for him by fans and the industry.
Perhaps the most important part of this song, maybe even the whole album, are the lines, "Now I'm turning off my headlights / Think I'd rather stay blind / I'm forgetting how to hate myself / I saved my own life." This is a callback to "Not Warriors" off Entertainment, where he claims, "I found you just in time / But hey, for what it's worth / I think you saved my life." A year later and Knight is admitting that isn't true. He was strong enough to do it on his own. He saved himself. That's growth and, in a way, that's what FANDOM is all about.
The only way I can describe this transition is winding down to wind back up. Just go listen to it, because it works.
"[REBOOT]":
Much like "Turbulent," this track uses electronic sounds differently and is possibly best defined as "beautiful noise." Earlier on the album, Knight talks extensively about genre and the limitations pop punk fans place on artists. Here, he proves he doesn't care what the fandom thinks as they play with electronic rap and dark synths. I mean, the song literally reboots in the middle.
The lyrics sit on top of the beat in a way that's eerie and heartbreaking. He continues calling back to the love songs on Entertainment, reimaging "Sleep Alone" by saying, "I used to need your voice and now I need to sleep alone." He even references earlier FANDOM track, "Dream Boy," singing, "I never promised you your dream boy," implying he was expected to be someone other than himself to make his relationship work.
This is the track where some of the lyrics get layered. Knight uses double entendre in the verse, singing, "But now you got your gloves / And now you box me out / I'm out the ring / But the only ring I want / Is the ring around your finger / But your middle one's up." He cleverly uses "ring" as both a boxing ring and an engagement ring, adding to our already mixed feelings about the relationship. The chorus is also provocative, with Knight claiming, "I'm better as your chew toy," slyly implying his ex is a bitch.
The song ends with rain and thunder, leading us into...
"Worst":
Remember in "Watch What Happens Next" when Knight mentions putting "auto tune on Worst?" Well, we're here. Originally released in 2017 on YouTube, Knight deleted the song after aggressive negative feedback. In so many ways, this is the song that launched FANDOM.
This version of the song is slightly different and reworked, however, it fits nicely within FANDOM. The instrumentals are light, we see acoustic guitar for the second time on this album, but the lyrics are heavy. This is Knight discussing the breakup's impact on his mental health, both short term and long.
The interlude section was not included in the original version. It's a clip of Knight speaking, perhaps in an interview, saying, "It's like, everybody tells you you gotta love yourself / It's 20-30 and there's no time for that / But I think it's so weird to actually do that" which leads into the verse where he sings, "Am I dealing with a breakup or a breakdown?" Something bigger is at play here, namely the anxiety and depression he mentions earlier in the song.
Waterparks is such a good band because they treat the absence of sound as a sound itself. It's brilliant and this song is a textbook example of their genius.
It fades out, but before moving into the next track, we hear Knight cheerfully exclaim, "Pretty cool!" This is "Worst" the way it was always meant to be.
"Zone Out":
A proper reprise, this is a remix of the chorus of "Dream Boy." The ideas behind "Dream Boy" have become a motif for this album and I can't believe how English Lit we're getting here.
Similar to "Group Chat," this functions as a breather on the record, but in a completely different way. The volume is purposely lowered on all parts of the track and the tempo is much slower, giving it a lullaby feel. We're nearing the end of FANDOM, but not before...
"I Felt Younger When We Met":
We're going out with a bang, that's for sure. Knight's vocals start the track with one clear statement: "I said I love you to death / So I must be dead." This is about what happens when someone who was such a major part of your life, someone you never saw yourself without, leaves. It's about the aftermath of losing that relationship, and in turn, losing yourself.
"It makes me sick you know my skin / My sins are all built in," Knight sings and you can't help but sing along. The alliteration on "Sober makes the months go slower" gets me every time, too. This song has some serious lyrical gems.
Filled with that classic Waterparks sound, power chords and expansive vocals, this is the kind of song you could get lost in. But, just when you think you know where it's going, Waterparks pulls the rug out from under you.
"My sheets, my sheets, my-" Everything halts. The sound cuts and then feedback comes in with a ticking clock. Suddenly, we hear a synth line, identical to the one from "Cherry Red" and we're back at the beginning again.
I haven't been this excited about an album in a long time. Waterparks exceeded every one of my expectations on this record and I know it will stay with me for some time to come. I'm catching them on tour next month and I can't begin to imagine what these songs will sound like live, but I'll be sure to let you know. Until then, I'll leave you where we began.
Album's aren't dead. Rock's not dead. FANDOM is the proof you're looking for.
Let me know what you think of FANDOM! This may be my favorite album of the year, but what's yours? I'd love new album rec's too. Drop me a line and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!
