Source: Album Artwork
Waterparks have had an extraordinary year. The Texas-born trio signed to Equal Vision, made the rounds in the UK and US, and most recently released their debut record Double Dare. But after partnering with Good Charlotte’s Joel and Benji Madden, the band’s fate was in steady hands. Double Dare is a colourful and eclectic album, forging Waterparks an identity in 13 tracks.
If there’s one thing to note about Double Dare, it’s that the album is skilfully produced. The typical debut flaws don’t exist. ‘Hawaii (Stay Awake)’ opens the album with vibrant kicks of synth before lapsing into something indistinguishable to an early All Time Low track.
We see glimpses of personality in ‘Gloom’ and ‘Stupid For You’, tracks constructed with an eye for the mainstream. ‘Stupid For You’ was the album’s lead single, igniting the Double Dare era with heavy doses of pop-punk. But front-manAwsten Knight is determined that Waterparks won’t be confined to a single genre: “We wanted to push the boundaries to show people that you can be more than one thing. This isn’t just a “pop-punk” band and I think when people hear the rest of the album, it’ll be pretty apparent.”
And sure, Double Dare does have sub-genres, but they aren’t all that prominent. ‘It Follows’ has some indie undertones, and ‘Little Violence’ is heavily dosed with punk, but these are pretty typical moves for modern pop-punk bands. It’s been a long time since the genre was black and white. Waterparks’ injection of electronic is their most interesting move. ‘Hawaii (Stay Awake)’, ‘Dizzy’ and ‘Little Violence’ benefit from it the most, overlaying a defining edge to otherwise easily categorised tracks.
But maybe that’s unfair. ‘Dizzy’ kicks off with slow and even beats, verging on a sound typically found on a hip-hop record. The track is among the album’s strongest, combining these diverse influences with a strong hook and expressive melodies. Waterparks strip down with ‘Powerless’ and ’21 Questions’, demonstrating Knight’s clean, honest vocals. ’21 Questions’ builds slowly to an impressive breakdown. It surges and falls in pace, bring a refreshing tone to an instrumentation heavy album.
Waterparks have got off to an impressive start with Double Dare. The album is vibrant and inventive, pulling together the band’s influences into a neat, polished package. But all considered this is a pop-punk album. The genre hasn’t been straightforward for years, and bands like Fall Out Boy (who do often adopt the blanket ‘American rock’ description) experiment openly with similar sounds. This is what modern pop-punk sounds like.
