March Music Writing Challenge Day 18: Waterparks

Today is my 28th birthday, and I’ve been waiting to speak about this album until this day for a reason. This may be one of the most important albums I’ve ever listened to in my entire life. Artistically, Waterparks went above and beyond times ONE THOUSAND with this magnificent album.

The day that this was released in 2021, is the day my obsession with this band started. Awsten Knight, lead singer and songwriter, has got to be one of the most innovative minds in music today. There is no limit to what this human can do. He constantly experiments with sound, ideas, and reaches further outside the boundary than you ever think possible.

The album, funnily named “Greatest Hits”, is their 4th studio album and dare I say my absolute favorite. It's a concept album about a strange dream, and the entire album is mapped out as parts of this dream sequence. You fall asleep in track 1 (Greatest Hits), and don’t wake up until track 16 (Ice Bath). Some of my favorites on this album are: Numb, Violet!, Snow Globe, The Secret Life of Me, LIKE IT, Magnetic, Crying Over It All, and Ice Bath. But the best way to listen to this album, especially on the first listen, is front to back with no breaks in the dark.

Some lyrics I love more than oxygen include: “”You can’t kill what you can’t see / I’ll take on every little thing you hand me”, “I can’t tweet that I wanna kill myself / But if I put it in a song, that shit goes hard as hell so what the fuck is up?”, “So practice your passion on me / Give me your hundred degrees / I’ll die off whenever you need / An afternoon just to breathe”, “Endorse the truth and fuck the rest / I only see my friends on stage, so cut the check / Or cut my neck with a brand new set of car keys”. There’s so much more I feel compelled to mention but I’d be here all day.

If you don’t listen to ANY other band or album I write about EVER…please listen to this one. Waterparks is ahead of their time and Awsten Knight is an artistic genius. All of their music is streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and more!

Artist Links & Handles:

IG: @waterparks OR @awstenknight
X: @waterparks