Waterparks Take Stock Of Fan Culture On Pungent New Album Fandom

By Jessica Norton


Texas-based hyperactive pop-rock trio Waterparks determined it was time to go off. The musical group, made up of Awsten Knight, Geoff Wigington, and Otto Wood, take hellacious swings at music and fan culture on their third studio album, appropriately titled FANDOM. The tea? Piping. Harsh yet straightforward? Full send. And we have no choice however to stan.


Tackling what it's like to be on the procuring end of tweets begging for follows ("Please, it's my birthday!") And the confusingly nice, however wildly aggressive threat comments ("Release the music video, you cowards") is a sensitive area. Though Vans Warped Tour alums have reached a certain level of popularity — boasting shirts at Hot Topic, an exclusive hair-dye teamwork with Manic Panic, and a uncensored nevertheless hilariously re-recorded clean song on Radio Disney — they're still rising, which means they don't wish to scare off any existing or potential fans. Yet their point must be made: Lyrics from FANDOM may cause some heartburn, proving to be just as acidic and pungent because the orange juice shown on the album's cover art.


"It's all word vomit, and then I'm like, ah, should I mention that?" Lead singer Knight expressed his worry to MTV News over the phone.


On the chorus of the album's lead single "Watch What occurs Next," he defeatedly sobs, "You don't love me the same / It's such a fucking shame" and "You wanna hear my art, however only on your terms." The following verse leaves a sting, nodding to the extremes of fan culture online: "I don't think people realize how they're fucking us up."


Despite Waterpark’s frenetic internet presence — constant Caps Lock and zealous messages of unrequited love to Victoria Justice — Knight is the only member heavily immersed in social media and meme culture, claiming Wigington and Wood are not "irony poisoned" and don't routinely understand internet humor. The plus side of not being on social media is of course avoiding the not-so-supportive corners of their following, where high expectations and cruel interactions have resulted in Knight's own negativity-fueled downward spirals. These have been intense enough to prompt the musical group to be outspoken and expressive on the topic of unhealthy treatment in fan culture.


"Here's the thing... I don't think anyone's gonna treat me differently immediately after hearing what I have to mention, yet I think they'll think twice about it first, and I think that's a begin Knight admits.


While FANDOM would be imagined a tangy spit in the face, the album does have a refreshingly sweet aftertaste. It's clear that Waterparks don't hate their fans. They are continually shocked by, and appreciative of, the support they receive, which includes however isn't limited to the ability to get topics to trend on Twitter immediately and having Target shelves wiped clean. The musical group is happy to offer the familiarity of their zany and upbeat sound in hopes that decisions to experiment will be welcomed and derived with open minds. Fandom is a topic they feel comfortable taking on personally, as each member admits to belonging to more than one fandom and has deep familiarity with the positive communities and friendships that are created within them, the act of stanning, and the in general joy it may bring. They just get it.


"I stan Taylor Swift. Ke$ha. Shawn Mendes. 5 Seconds of Summer. Certainly One Direction," Knight reveals while scrolling through his phone. "I stan so several people."


On the track "War Crimes," he crushingly admits, "Bands I loved don't want the ideal for me / Scared they're falling off and take it out on me." He was quick to confirm the line is certainly not" throwing shade at longtime hype males and current managers Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, who the 'Parks males routinely cite as their all-time faves. The Maddens plucked Waterparks out of their Texan obscurity in 2015 and have since assisted the "Turbulent" musical group in fighting for creative rights, encouraging them to sign their current deal with Hopeless Records soon after a previous contract and label relationship went sour. "I trust the Maddens with my life," Knight said.


Support and encouragement has also come from Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, who once, soon after a super casual coffee date with Knight, dropped by the studio to listen to demos while in the early creative stages of FANDOM. Wentz approved a track on the spot where he is savagely name-dropped in the first line — arguably the ultimate pop-punk/emo-kid blessing.


"Pete was like, 'With how excited you are about all this, you straight-up remind me of a young Brendon Urie.' Like, what the fuck?" Knight mentioned, still in disbelief over what he calls his "biggest fan girl moment." "I played it cool."


While still overzealous — an endearing and continually on-brand attitude for the musical group — there has been a rare sense of peace among them immediately after FANDOM's October 11 release. Right now that the potentially unsavory yet still fun and unique third studio album is out for the world to hear — plus a fall tour alongside Yung Pinch and Kitten —  they have no regrets. "This is our first real label release that feels like an album of ours has actually stood a chance plus it feels nice to have support," Knight said.


"I've been in bands since I was 13 and it certainly was not habitually this way. Waterparks is probably my first musical group that anyone has given a shit about," he continued, "which is fine because of all the other bands were really bad."