I haven't posted in a while but alas, I am here with an album review! Recently I've been really into the band Waterparks, who, after a few EPs, released their debut album Double Dare about a month ago. If you're unfamiliar with Waterparks I'll give you a quick rundown; they're made up of Awsten on guitar and vocals, Geoff (guitar) and Otto (drums), they originate from Houston, and they are wonderfully ambiguous in their interpretation of pop punk. Double Dare features a wide range of takes on pop punk and pop rock, infused with electronic elements and really cool lyrics. Let's just get to my track-by-track review, shall we?
1. Hawaii (Stay Awake) - such a good opener for the album and I am super excited to hear it live. This song is summery and upbeat and really reminds me of Dirty Work-era All Time Low in both its instrumentation and lyrics, but most notably in that final building bridge. Damn, it's SO GOOD.
2. Gloom Boys - I love so much about this song. I feel like at first it sounds sort of beach-y (...you'll know what I mean if you've heard it) but then it gets to this super intense bridge and it's really cool. It also has some of my favourite lyrics from the whole album.
3. Stupid For You - this is by far the catchiest song on the record (which is probably why it was chosen as the first single) and I absolutely love it. The guitars and drums are still there but the song itself has more poppy elements. Plus, the music video is everything I didn't know I needed.
4. Royal - I love this one because it is just such a bop. I can definitely imagine a crowd JUMPIN' to this song in the chorus. Also, I love the line "don't believe me, ask Geoff" because I love a good ol' bit of self-reflexivity.
5. Take Her To The Moon - this is one of my least favourite tracks on the record but it has some great lyrics. It's the poppiest and is a lot more synth-y and electronica-y than the others, which is cool because it shows they're willing to switch things up, but personally I prefer a stronger guitar presence. Also, is it weird to say that it sort of feels like something mixed between Ke$ha, 3OH!3 and Cobra Starship?
6. Made In America - the contrast between the previous song and Made In America is pretty striking; it starts with roaring drums and develops into a classic stick-it-to-the-man track that the punk genre so desperately adores. Speaking of which, is any song of this type complete without mention of the word 'hysteria'? No.
7. Dizzy - another one of my favourites on the album, and I feel like it's inspired by Blink's famous "nobody likes you when you're twenty-three" line, but the end result is a lot more emo. The verses have a slightly weird melody but it works, and the chorus is just so moody and intense.
8. Powerless - one of the slower tracks on the album. You can practically smell the Good Charlotte influence; it really reminds me of some of their slower songs from back in the day, and Awsten even sounds like a Madden brother in the chorus.
9. Little Violence - this is probably the heaviest song and it's so good. The lyrics are sharp, tongue-in-cheek, funny and doused in punk rebellion in their critique of the genre itself, and are some of the best on the album.
10. 21 Questions - this a cute little earnest acoustic that is a nice bit of relief after the frenetic buzz of Little Violence, and it's nice to get to hear Awsten's voice on a slower track.
11. It Follows - this isn't my favourite track; it's got some great lyrics and it's still a great song (honestly the album doesn't have any bad ones), but to me it just feels like it packs less of a memorable melodic punch than some of the others.
12. Plum Island - I really like the verses on this song, and the drums throughout are super cool. The electronica element here works really well for the overall sound.
13. I'll Always Be Around - this is the closing track of the record, and it feels like an end-credits song, slowing everything right down to somewhere around the mid-tempo mark, easing you out of the listening experience and ending it on an echoey, synthy note.
Favourite song(s): Gloom Boys / Stupid For You / Royal / Dizzy
Favourite lyric(s): "I brought a knife to a gun fight, I brought my words to a fist fight." (Gloom Boys) // "I wish I was as brave as my last name suggests*." (Dizzy) // basically all of Little Violence's second verse:
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Before I continue, I just want to add that I am very happy because last week All Time Low announced that Waterparks would be touring the UK with them next year! This was overwhelming for me because I already had an ATL ticket, which means I now get to see two bands I really like in one night, which can only be a fantastic thing.
Overall, Double Dare is a really fun record that doesn't take itself too seriously, but is still a seriously solid debut album. I think that while a few of the songs feel a little too similar to each other, it is the clever, often self-reflexive lyrics that really give the album an extra punch. In my opinion, the best pop punk lyrics are a little bit tongue-in-cheek and this record perfectly embodies that. I love what Waterparks have done with Double Dare in that they're constantly toeing the line between pop, rock and punk, and blurring the boundaries surrounding what a genre traditionally "should" be. There are evidently pop punk influences (think: Pete Wentz and Brendon Urie-style lyrics, All Time Low instrumentation and Good Charlotte-style general vibes) but they combine it with an electronica element that I haven't seen very much of recently. Plus, while I love your good ol' standard pop punk, it's really cool to see a fairly new band do something a little bit different and put their own original spin on the genre. The band itself is incredibly talented and it's awesome to see how their sound is already starting to be defined, which makes me super excited to see what they're going to produce next.
See you next time!
Georgia
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