let's talk FANDOM

so i've already made a post talking a little bit about my first impressions upon listening to the album twice. i've listened to it a couple more times, and i kinda went to sleep thinking about it, processing it, because i didn't really went too much into lyrical content before. so i'm gonna do another track by track, getting a little bit more in depth in each song, because i feel like i need to talk about it a little more. the album is so fucking good; i just need to keep talking about it.

Cherry Red

this song starts big. it sounds like it belongs in an OST. like, it truly feels like it could easily live in the "Labyrinth" (1986) soundtrack, like i've said before (i'm talking David Bowie here, kids; it's a huge deal). it's a little too short for my taste, i would've loved it to go a little longer but, it is what it is. lyrically, i like the mention of the color red, since it was the original main color from the lost 'Friendly Reminder' era. and i really like how he links it with green, which is the color of the new era, the 'Fandom' era. it's a very nice (too short) song to begin the album with. i think it's a very strong beginning. like, it feels like the beginning of something big.

Watch What Happens Next

the transition between these two tracks is impeccable. the opening riff to this song is really great, i like it a lot. it's super simple, but it just sounds so cool. Otto's drums in this song reminds me a lot of Not Warriors, which looks hecka difficult to play, to be honest. lyrically, this song is a fucking kick in the nuts not just to the fandom in general, but to the music industry too. it's a big 'fuck you' to everybody who wants something from them without giving anything in return. and also to everybody who thinks they're entitled to tell them how to create their art. i love this song to bits. i loved it since the day it came out. i think it's great.

Dream Boy

so, first time i heard this song i was like, "meh." because i'm not much into this kind of sound, which i realize is ironic since i'm such a Backstreet Boys fan. and i don't necessarily think the song is bad, i think it just clashes with the idea i have of them, of the music i'm used to hearing from them. which fits perfectly into the theme of the album; because here i am, not liking a song because it's not what i would expect from them. and i hate to admit it, but i kinda fell into the category of 'All the fans that like us need an easy fucking format', as he says in Watch What Happens Next. but with a few more listens, Dream Boy grew in me and i eventually came to like it. i don't think i'll ever love it, but i think some of it it's cool. like the ending riff, and the melody of the second verse (RIP Glitter Times, you were loved). lyrically, i really like the verses, mostly the second one. the line 'build-a-boy pick my pieces' paints such a pretty picture and it's also so fucking accurate. i really, really like the concept of this song. not so much the way it sounds, but we already stablished that's a personal issue.

imma take a moment to plug in the drawing i made for this song, here you go:

Easy To Hate

so, musically, it has like a 2009-alternative-pop vibe, but the melody of the voice has such a late 90's punk rock vibe going on, which if you think about them separately they shouldn't make sense together, but they work and i fucking love it. i love this song so much. i think it might be my favorite off of the album. but i don't know, because i'm sure when i'm listening to it but then i get to Never Bloom Again and it's like, is it though? oh, that tiny solo! go Geoff! the chanting in the chorus, love that. lyrics are really good, as usual. lately, in interviews, Awsten has been saying that he's trying to be more direct with his words, leave less room for interpretation; and judging by the singles they've released, i thought he might have went and 'dumb himself down' so that people would get the metaphors the way he intended them to. so, it was a nice surprise finding beautiful pieces of lyrics, like, 'Frustrate me backwards into bed' (which is the opening line, btw, and if this was a book, that's a killer opening line. like, that line is gonna get you hooked! you just gotta keep reading), or 'I'll change the colors on my head / Worn like a mood ring past my neck'. i mean, this song is a gem and it's gonna age like fine wine. i feel like it's one of those songs i'm gonna keep going back to and falling deeper in love with it even when i thought it wasn't possible for me anymore.

High Definition

this song came out with Awsten promoting it as the best thing he's ever written. and i understand  that it's very important to him on a personal level-- i mean, i can't relate, but i understand why it's so important to him. but, to be honest, i don't think it's even close to be the best he's ever written. i'm gonna be completely honest with you, i do not like this song. i mean, i do, just-- i don't like listening to it. bear with me: i like the melody of the vocals, i love the lyrics, i like the idea of the song. i just don't like the way it's executed? exactly? does that make sense? like, you will hear me singing this song, but i'm probably gonna skip it while listening to the album because there's something about the way it sounds as a whole that i cannot stand. and i don't know what it is, i just know that i don't like it. really love the restaurant room sound in the background. that's nice. and probably my favorite lyric from this song is 'alone is safer than with you'.

Telephone

oh, the 80's vibe is strong in this one. this song sounds like it could be in a musical movie. like, yes. i fucking love this song. it think it's great. it has a cute Summer vibe. another Geoff solo, too! YES! fucking love it. dude! this guy is such a good performer, he deserves more solos. like, i know Awsten said that if they ever tried to play solos people were gonna be like, "ugh! who are they trying to kid? they're not that good..." but they are! and they should be playing all the solos! give Geoff more solos!!! also, i'm pretty sure Otto's gonna lose an arm in this song, the drums go so fast. lyrics are crazy and cute as fuck. i also really like that it ends with someone saying, "Losing his mind and I'm reaping all the benefits," which i'm guessing is Zakk Cervini, the producer, but we might never know. unless Awsten tells us.

*EDIT*

so it's actually a line from the movie "The Wedding Singer" (1998). i hadn't seen that movie in so long i didn't even noticed until Travis pointed it out here. here's the bit:

Group Chat

adorable as fuck. also, great transition to the next song.

Turbulent

that early 2000's vibe the guitar riff has gets me everytime. i don't know if it's the chord progression, or the tempo, but it sounds like your regular early 2000's punk rock favorite song and i love it. i fucking love this song so much. it's dark and creepy in the best of ways and there's so much going on. i love the last bit of lyrics: 'You had a taste of the life / But you grew complacent and my sanity laced itself / Up in the back of your mind / And that's where you left me to die'. and the outro is so good! it's like, overwhelming and then it comes to a sudden stop. i love it. Turbulent is great.

Never Bloom Again

i love the way this song is quiet and stripped down. i was kinda waiting for it to blow up at the beginning of the first verse, but it doesn't. it kinda does a little bit for the second chorus, but it's still pretty stripped down. and i love all the ahs and ohs. and the way he goes back to stripped down for the first half of the second chorus, but then breaks into strumming for the second half; i love the difference between the picking and the strumming, because the strumming of the whole chord kinda gives it a twisted sound to it, which i think goes pretty well with the lyrics. and then it ends quiet again, and i just love it. all the lyrics in this song are so good; i cannot pick, they work perfectly as a whole. this song is perfect. see what i meant earlier? it's really hard to say Easy To Hate is my favorite when i get to Never Bloom Again.

I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don't Wanna Die Anymore

i don't know what i was expecting from this song, exactly, but i know it wasn't what it is. and it's so much more and better than anything i could've ever imagined. i really like the way he delivers the chorus, like that little nervous laugh he does like he knows just how fucked up what he's saying is but he's already saying it and so he's sticking to it, making the best of it. i also love the ending, when he starts repeating, 'But I think it's fine, it's cool', and it gets progressively more frustrated and agressive, like he's trying to convince himself that what he's saying is true. like, if he keeps repeating to himself that he's fine and that things are cool, he might end up actually believing it. lyrically, like Awsten said, it's the least relatable song because it's so fucking personal. and it is. like, it's definitely about him, you can't be like, "Uh, me!" because, no, kid, it's not. and i really love the fact that it sounds so happy but what he's saying is so fucked up. but... you know? we were warned: 'I like happy songs with titles that don't match at all'.

War Crimes

this song is so fucking tight. i think the thing i love the most about this song is that it doesn't follow a conventional structure. it's not verse / chorus / verse / chorus / bridge / chorus, or whatever. it has like, four different verses, you wanna call the 'I play alone / I love it all, love it all...' bit a chorus? knock yourself out, but it's not necessarily an actual chorus. btw, the melody of that part, like, the vocals and the music, reminds me so much of something but i can't pinpoint what exactly. maybe it doesn't sound like anything i've ever listened to, but it hits all the nostalgic cells in my brain in the best of ways. generally, also, the bass line. fuck. the build up. FUCK. i love the lyrics, i love the Zakk/Jawn/Travis shout out. and i really liked Zakk's and Jawn's parts; it's a nice touch. and-- ah! i just love this song so much! it's so fucking tight. it's... AH! it's GREAT.

[Reboot]

nice transition from War Crimes to [Reboot]. i still don't like this song. the chorus voice melody is catchy, and you'll find me singing it from time to time. honestly, i don't find it as annoying to listen to as High Definition, but i don't particularly like it either. i do like that Sleep Alone reference though. i really like the reverse build up to the last chorus. i say 'reverse build up' because it kinda quiets down instead of progressively getting bigger. i just kinda wished the following chorus would've blown up more. like, after that much expectation building, i was kinda bracing myself to be blown away somehow, but it just kicks in in the same energy the other choruses hold, so. that was a little disappointing, i guess. i don't know, i kinda wished he entered that first chorus with the high harmony. or maybe a change of key? that would've been nice too. and such a shock, to be honest. kinda like LA Devotee by Panic! At The Disco, you know that i mean?

Worst

absolutely loved the transition here. i'm a sucker for stormy sounds in songs, and i think it suits both these songs pretty well. also, i really like these two songs together because, like, [Reboot] kinda states the way he feels about the relationship 'now', and Worst is like, "And this is exactly how you broke me." i already liked the original version of this song, and they pretty much kept it the same. i really like all the little additions they made, because it feels natural. like they just filled the song in a very cohesive way. the bass line in this song is awsome. and i really, really love the way he gasps for air at the very end of the second verse. ugh! i love it when he does that. also, that "Pretty cool!" at the end was cute as fuck.

Zone Out

more like Dream Boy Revisited. almost Dream Boy 8-bit. yo! that would've been sick! anyway... this song could've easily not been there and it wouldn't have changed anything. to be perfectly honest, when Awsten talked about a reprise in ‘Fandom’ i kinda pictured it more like Men Are All The Same by The Used, or What A Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy, goodbye by Billie Eilish if you’re feeling lucky. but it’s just a different version of Dream Boy’s chorus, so...

I Felt Younger When We Met

fuck. i mean… fuuuuck, what a good way to finish an album. i mean, Waterparks never had issues finishing albums on great notes, we all know that. I’ll Always Be Around and Sleep Alone are fucking gems, you just had to hit replay, because they both left you wanting more. now, I Felt Younger When We Met literally demands you to hit replay because it fucking ends where Cherry Red starts and I FUCKING LOVE THAT SO MUCH ASDLKJASDLKJASDLKJASD!!!!!!! sorry for the freak out, it had to be done. it’s just so fucking good! i feel like 'I said I loved you to death' is a missed reference from a song that died with 'Friendly Reminder'. i really like the way the overdriven guitar riff blends perfectly with the synths sounds; it just sounds so good. i love the sudden end. i love the clock ticking sound, i find it very distressing, but i think it's really cool. and as i said before, i really, really love the fact that it ends when Cherry Red starts.

so i guess overall, this album is the best thing Waterparks has ever released. yes, i said it. it is better than 'Entertainment'. it sounds more genuine, it sounds more mature. like, 'Entertainment' sounds cool and it's amazing; but after listening to 'Fandom', 'Entertainment' kinda feels like they were trying to prove that they could do 'Double Dare' better, whereas 'Fandom' sounds like they're doing exactly what they want to be doing. does that make sense? i hope it does.

i think what i love most about it is that it doesn't get boring. it happens to me a lot that after track like, six or whatever, i get tired of albums because the last songs never excite me. but this album has so many good songs towards the end that, i'm excited all the way through listening to it. it happens to me a lot with albums like, 'Double Dare', like, after Dizzy i don't really love any of the following songs, particularly. or like, even with 'Vessel' from twenty øne piløts; after Car Radio it gets kinda boring to me. but like, if you go to albums like, 'Blurryface' or 'Trench' even, like i'm super excited to get to Hometown and Goner, and Bandito and Leave The City, and they're like track 12, 11 and 14, you know? those are albums i have to listen to in their entirety. even 'Entertaiment', but it is a very short record, so. like, it ends quickly, doesn't even count.

what i was on about? i'm digressing so much... but, like, bottom line: it's a really cool album, and i can't imagine anyone not liking it. it feels very complete, it feels very loved. like, in the process of making it. it feels like everything was carefully thought out and planned and like, each track serves a purpose. i don't know. it's really, really good. i like it a lot. both musically and lyrically.

i just really fucking love it.

~talk's a waste of time~

‘Fandom’ first listen.

well, technically, second. because first actual listen was with the lights out, headphones on, eyes closed. didn’t understand half the lyrics because Awsten can’t enunciate for jack shit, but that’s how we roll in this house. (i always listen to albums for the first time like this and in general- but no one asked me).

moving on, second listen is reading lyrics. and here goes my take on every track!

so, Awsten said each song on the album sounded like a movie. and, to be completely honest with you, Cherry Red actually sounds like it belongs in the titles of a coming of age rom-com. it wasn’t what i expected it to be, but it was a nice surprise. like, the very beginning sounds like it could easily live in the soundtrack of 1986′s “Labyrinth”, which was scored by absolute legend David Bowie, no less.

and i really love the way it connects with Watch What Happens Next, which i thought it might be my favorite from the album, but it has been kicked down to fifth, maybe sixth place?

the outro to Dream Boy still reminds me of Crave. and i still don’t know what to do with that information. loved that he recycled the pre-chorus melody of Glitter Times (RIP) for the second verse here. i think i haven’t said that before.

ok. i’m just gonna put this out there: Easy To Hate sounds like it could’ve been a Big Time Rush song and that makes me so fucking happy. i mean, obviously not lyrically, but- anyway. this song… man. you know when you hear a song that’s so good you cry and you can’t stop smiling? no? just me? holy. shit. everything about this song is so fucking good. i literally don’t know where to start praising it.

i know High Definition is the song that’s most important to Awsten, and he said he felt like it’s the best thing he’s ever written. but i strongly disagree. i like the song just fine, i just don’t think it’s the best thing he’s ever written.

oh my god, Telephone sounds like everything that’s ok in the world. same feelings than with Easy To Hate minus the crying. i just can’t seem to stop smiling. it’s just– good, man. it’s really good.

Group Chat is… definitely something. hahaha. loved that.

fuck. i hadn’t listened to Turbulent for a while, and when it came on i fangirled hard. it’s so good! it’s creepy in the best of ways and i had forgotten how much i loved that. it was the only other single (apart from WWHN) that i instantly liked. (and the acoustic version slaps so bad!)

Never Bloom Again. HOLY SHIT. i’ve tried looking for a way to say this in English but i couldn’t find the exact words, i’m sorry, pero Lucky People: la tenés adentro. this is probably one of my favorite songs from the album, like top 3 for sure. Awsten’s vocals are so heartfelt. i fucking cried my eyes out (both times i listened to it- and i doubt that’s gonna change with multiple listens.)

when they were talking with Fish about I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore, Fish asked Awsten, “Who hurt you?” kind of ironically, but like… boy! apparently e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y hurt him. who the fuck sends Awsten death threats? i just wanna talk– all jokes aside, that’s really fucked up. i can’t believe we’re almost in 2020 and kids still send death threats to people on social media. it makes me want an apocalypse so bad. humanity needs to be destroyed- some people are too fucking mean. anyway, back to the song. i kinda feel bad for liking this song, but i think it sounds really cool. i like the way he laughs in the chorus, like he realizes how sad what he’s saying is but he’s already saying it and he’s sticking with it.

shout out to Jawn and Zakk in War Crimes, dude! also shout out to that badass bass riff in between whatever those two verses are? that’s simple but effective AS FUCK. like the song has zero structure but it works so fucking well. BOY. War Crimes is tight as fuck.

i still don’t like [Reboot]. i’m not sure what it is about it. i really enjoy the break down/interlude, though, right before the last couple of choruses. i think by the way the build up sounds, i was kinda expecting he’d hit the high harmony when the chorus kicks back in, or maybe a change of key…? mmm, that would’ve been nice. but, you know… this is me talking out of my ass. i don’t know shit.

wait! i also love that it ends with storm sounds that carry on to Worst. oh. and i absolutely love the bass they added. yes. also, love the way he gasps for air at the very end of the second verse, because i’m weird as fuck and i love it when he does that. and that “Pretty cool!” was cute as Hell too.

so, Zone Out is basically Dream Boy again… but like a ‘go to sleep’ version. i woul’ve been totally ok with them calling it Dream Boy Revisited, to be honest. when Awsten talked about a reprise in ‘Fandom’ i kinda pictured it more like Men Are All The Same by The Used, or What A Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy, goodbye by Billie Eilish if you’re feeling lucky. but it’s just a different version of Dream Boy’s chorus. and i guess that’s fine but also… if it wasn’t there it wouldn’t be much of a difference either…? i don’t know.

fuck. I Felt Younger When We Met. fuck. i mean… fuuuuck, what a good way to finish an album. i mean, Waterparks never had issues finishing albums on great notes, we all know that. I’ll Always Be Around and Sleep Alone were fucking gems, you just had to hit replay, because they both left you wanting more. now, I Felt Younger When We Met literally demands you to hit replay because it fucking ends where Cherry Red starts and I FUCKING LOVE THAT SO MUCH ALSJDKLASJLDAKLSJDKL. sorry for the freak out, it had to be done. it’s just so fucking good!

Overall. i really enjoyed the album. i think it’s amazing. i think it’s even better than ‘Entertainment’. and trust me, i never thought i’d say that either. i think maybe i was a little scared to listen to it because of how strongly i didn’t like the singles (except for Turbulent and WWHN) and i really wanted to like the album. i mean, if i didn’t, it wasn’t the end of the world, of course. but, i don’t know. i just wanted to like it so bad.

like, every previously unreleased song is so fucking good that you can’t help but love the album. it’s a really good album. i fucking love it. i love it. and i can’t picture people not liking it.

~talk's a waste of time~

Awsten's self-references: Entertainment

~talk's a waste of time~

Awsten's self-references: Double Dare

~talk's a waste of time~

Otto’s smile... i swear to god

it’s gonna be the death of me.

i mean, LOOK AT THIS PRECIOUS BABY! i’m crying.

also: Geoff’s Sonic shirt. these boys are so 90’s, i fucking love them. it’s crazy, like we all grew up together. and we did. but then we didn’t, you know what i mean?

~talk’s a waste of time~

p.s.: happy b-day, Mikey. hope you had a good one.

APTV Sessions: WATERPARKS - "Stupid For You" (Acoustic)

i love how Awsten can sing all those runs live like it's not a big deal.

~talk's a waste of time~

why do they look like a 90’s band?

i mean, if i didn’t know who they were and someone showed me these pics and told me they were a band from the 90’s i’d totally buy it.

maybe it’s Awsten’s bleached hair (‘frosted tips’, fucks sakes the 90’s were weird), Otto’s jeans, Geoff’s Taz tee... the couch? everything about this picture screams 90’s.

... or maybe is just my nostalgia speaking, idk.

~talk’s a waste of time~

it’s about the little things, you know?

so, i was watching this old (‘old’, it’s from 2015 for fucks sakes) Waterparks interview and my computer just fucking frozed in this frame. i made me laugh more than it should’ve.

side note: Otto and Geoff were just singing Otto’s “Jersey Boys” song. it was everything. and probably about MCR.

~talk’s a waste of time~

i’ve been trapped

... by Awsten Knight’s crazy webs.

yes. i have fallen down the Waterparks lane and there’s no coming back. shit. i know. fuck. last thing i needed was to obsess over yet another band that’s never ever gonna step on argentinian soil but here i am.

and how could i not? just look at these dorks!

catchy melodies? pop-punk-rock-whateverthefuck general sound? deep, heart-felt lyrics? sign me the fuck in!

i was officially sold when i watched the video for “Blonde” (and heard the song for the first time as well). i haven’t seen that much word cramming since “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” came out 13 years ago (tøp doesn’t count, it’s rapping not singing). i mean: Awsten has a gift. the gift of singing really really fast and still enunciate properly. and i love it. it’s one of my weaknesses (?)

also, i really love his runs and falcetos. and yes, i have been listening to the band for only two days, that’s why i’m only talking about Awsten. gimme a week and i’ll break down the whole sound, it’s just that vocals are always what drawns me first.

also: LYRICAL. CONTENT. BITCH.

but Geoff is cool and talented and i love him because he loves the same bands i did as a teenager (i mean, of course, we’re practically the same age *eyeroll*) and Otto is just the most adorable little thing in this world and we must protect him at all costs. also, Awsten is a crazy motherfucker and i wanna be friends with him,

bye.

Waterparks is too good to not have blown up world-wide yet. people don’t get shit.

~talk’s a waste of time~