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~