Rock band Waterparks have released their fifth studio album Intellectual Property. A big jump for the band, the record connects all their different eras together with a mix of tracks that all have different elements to them, some that are more pop and dance-oriented, and some that will make you want to start a mosh pit in your living room. It brings the listener on a journey through the mind of lead singer Awsten Knight and his struggles with himself, religious trauma, and themes of lust, sex, and feelings.
The first track “ST*RFUCKER” starts the record out on a strong note, slow at first with no instrumental accompanying the beginning lines as Awsten Knight sings “I'm gonna move out of my loft/And into a limousine/So I can drive you fuckin' crazy.” Immediately following those lyrics is a super electronic instrumental beat, reminiscent of something you’d hear in a hyperpop song. The chorus has been all over Waterparks’ social media before the album started, saying “It’s been a pleasure/Nice to meet you.” The way Knight sings the chorus is super satisfying as he hits high notes and there are lots of layering vocals that hit the ear just right. Something that Knight has done on previous records that he brings back for this one is rapping lyrics, singing “Bet you wouldn't ask me to do that by this time next year/You can't hide my face but save me for a rainy day, it don't go two ways (No)/I don't wanna be toxic, I just wanna be honest.” The song continues with a repetition of the chorus, then ends abruptly, leaving the listener hanging for a second.
Following immediately after that track is the hardcore single “REAL SUPER DARK.” The song starts out quite strong with an industrial-sounding guitar, and Knight follows after, practically screaming the lyrics. He talks about his management and other magazines, which he references quite a bit in his music. Within the first verse, he is also referencing other music on the album with the line “If you're feeling silly/I'll call you, beep you later,” which is a lyric in their song “FUNERAL GREY.” The chorus is one of the best parts of the songs, and it makes me want to mosh and jump up and down. The combination of Knight’s screaming, heavy guitars, and a hard drum beat make me feel excited as he sings “And everyone's freaking me out/I wake up and I'm up and I'm down/Yo shut the fuck out of your mouth.” He slows things down halfway through to sing “It gets real super dark around the edge of my heart, around the edge of my heart,” giving the listener a break to breathe before bringing back the heavy guitars and drums that follow the song until its end.
Changing the pace is the next track, “FUNERAL GREY,” the upbeat single that was quite literally the song of the summer last year. It is dramatically different from the songs before it, with calmer guitar notes reminiscent of a pop track. Knight’s lyricism allows the listener to paint a picture in their mind as he sings “11 PM she walked in with her friends/And now I'm tripping off the deep end.” The song continues describing the girl Knight is singing about and the color of her sweater, “She wore a sweater in summer weather, yeah/She wore a sweater, it was funeral grey.” After the chorus ends there is a notable tempo change when the drums come away for a line as he sings “3 AM she walked in, took a hit/I said, ‘That shit is gonna kill you’ (kill you),” referencing the fact that Knight does not drink or do drugs, something he has been very open about through his music. The best part of the song to me is the bridge as Knight sings “Float my way, I'm melting for you,” because it literally feels like you are melting with the song and becoming a part of the words themselves.
The next track “BRAINWASHED” was the most recent single released, about a month before the album dropped. It is the slowest track on the album so far and references religious trauma and guilt as he sings “Don't take it away, I wanna play, where did the time fly?/What if I pray? Hoping you'll stay into the daylight.” The song is very mellow but has an upbeat tempo, something that could be a chiller song in a setlist to give a break. Knight sings how the person he is going after has him “brainwashed,” and they are all he can think about. The chorus talks about the sexual feelings he has for the person and how he never wants to leave and be with them forever singing, “Everything's clean except for my thoughts (yeah)/Thinking about me getting you off/It's been a week, I'm still at your house/I don't wanna leave, it's freaking me out.” The song doesn’t really change much as it progresses but dives deeper into themes about how he relies on this person to feel happy, and it is almost like the feeling of Stockholm Syndrome, trapped at this person’s house because he feels like he can’t leave because he relies on them too much.
One of my favorite tracks on the record is the feel good, yet if you really look into the lyrics, saddening, track “2 BEST FRIENDS.” It starts out like an early 2000s rock song, with guitars taking the reigns and Knight’s softer vocals. He sings about the person he likes going out all the time and never being present with him, and how he is sick of waiting on them and they make him depressed. The chorus brings his feelings up to the surface as he sings “So I went out with my two best friends/Tried anything not to think of you/It didn't work and I feel like shit/Wake up tomorrow and try again.” Although the person he likes doesn’t treat him well at all, he still feels guilty for trying to move on, singing “Yeah, I kissed a couple people but they taste wrong.” It is just such a feel-good song although the lyrics are really depressing, but also relatable, especially in the time we live in where people don’t take dating as seriously anymore.
Slowing down the record is the track “END OF THE WATER (FEEL),” where Knight gets experimental with his vocals, hitting extremely high notes that haven’t been heard from him before. The beginning of the song, which is also the chorus, is slow and soft as he sings “If you feel it, then I feel it too/If you believe me, I could be your truth,” where he showcases his vocal abilities. The song becomes more upbeat after that as Knight sings about a situationship, where both people have feelings for each other but aren’t upfront about it, instead pulling the other along until maybe it turns into something. The song is very unique in that the band plays with alternating tempos, going slow then more upbeat back to slow, with retro electronic synths in the background guiding the song. The end of the song has a prominent guitar solo, reminiscent of an early Waterparks record, something unseen for a while until now. Something also interesting about this song is the addition of YouTuber Kurtis Conner, a comedian known for his funny and lighthearted videos, talking about the simple things in life “You know, a little bit of living/A little bit of loving/A little bit of kissing/A little bit of hugging, you know?/That's what I'm feeling.”
The next track was one of the earlier singles released, “SELF SABOTAGE”, right after “FUNERAL GREY.” The band gets quite emotional, starting out slow and mellow with a steady drum beat. He hints at other themes he has sung about with “Might unplug my phone at night/When you need me most I’ll miss that flight,” because he sings about phones a lot, like their song “Telephone.” The pre-chorus has a nice build-up, with the feeling of a breakdown coming in the chorus.The chorus is catchy as Knight sings “I’m on my way to you/But I self-sabotage/So I might drive my car/And crash into your garage (ooh, ooh),” with his voice getting high pitched. The best part of the song is the after chorus as he sings “What the fuck is wrong with me” because it is very different from the rest of the song, and it is almost like he is going through a breakdown as he sings it. The end of the song has groovy synths and guitar, and it is very interesting.
Quite possibly one of the best songs I’ve ever heard, which is very reminiscent of other hardcore tracks that Waterparks have, is “RITUAL.” He utilizes other sound sources to remind the listener that the record is about sexual guilt stemming from religious trauma, saying “What If I want to have sex before I get married?/Well, I guess you just have to be prepared to die.” Immediately following that is a tense build-up to the first verse with trippy synths in the background as Knight sings “My inner child needs a bulletproof vest/And a phone that can't text and twenty years rest/Build a bomb shelter, bite a belt for the stress/Never know what's next, next.” The pre-chorus is one of the coolest parts of the song because Knight adds robotic effects on his vocals, creating a creepy tone to his words as he sings “Melatonin, eyes feel heavy tonight/I could sleep for weeks and speak in Z's/Don't look for me (don't look for me).” He whispers the last words before the chorus comes at full speed as he yells his way through the chorus singing “They're killing me when I'm fast asleep/Are you hearing me when I say you're bleeding me out/With all the things you don't say/I'm living fucking betrayed,” speaking about how words are powerful and cut a knife through him. The second verse is a repetition of the first, but he sings harder and yells it, hammering in how he really feels about things. He repeats the verse again, but this time his voice is super deep and heavier, with a notable beat drop, ending the song with an instrumental mix of everything we heard so far, electronic synths and heavy bass that could blow your speakers out,
The next track is drastically different from every other track because it is a pop song, featuring commercially successful rapper blackbear. “FUCK ABOUT IT,” was most fans’ first glimpse into the sexual themes of the record as it literally spells it out for fans in the title, released last year. The song is similar to other ones on the record but this time Knight is putting his foot down, demanding he and the other person stop talking and have their alone time, but gets roped into being with them. The song starts out slower but brings in a steady tempo as Knight sings “I don't wanna leave you hangin' on/But when we fight, it's like a marathon/Give me three days, three days alone, yeah.” Although he feels this way, he says that they “can fuck about it later,” because it is all they know how to do. blackbear is an interesting addition to the track, and it is cool to see because it shows how Waterparks are always evolving, never staying true to the sound of the previous records. He adds more to the story singing “You've been at my crib for like the seventh day up in a row/You've been doing silly things like checking who I follow/I know you're waiting by the phone/But I just wanna be all alone tonight.” Knight knows this behavior is toxic, but can’t seem to leave the person.
“CLOSER” is a very emotional track, with a slow acoustic guitar in the beginning, making the listener wonder if the relationship between Knight and the person he’s been singing about is over. The prechorus explains the story further, highlighting how toxic their relationship is as he sings “Because I love you or I want to/Is it easy now?/You only hit me in the evenin'/When I'm all stressed out.” It is relatable to those who have ever gone through a toxic relationship because it is hard to leave when you’re in it, and you can’t decide if you need the person because the thought of them not being in your life is too much to handle, but you know you need to leave. As the song progresses it becomes heavier, especially in the bridge as Knight sings “I hope you never rain on my charade/The lonely one I let myself create/I got my space, but what'd I pay?/I've been fucked so much that I no longer wait.” The song ends on a sad note as it slows completely down, with just his vocals isolated, debating again if he really needs the person in his life.
The final track, “A NIGHT OUT ON EARTH,” starts out with an instrumental reminiscent of video game music. Knight’s vocals are autotuned and the music becomes more industrial. He speaks about things he goes through and also more about religion as he sings “Am I missing out? Am I having fun?/Is it just me or is it everyone?/Desensitized, the love I get is virtual/Now Jesus hates my guts, it's getting personal.” Last year Waterparks embarked on the “Night Out On Earth Tour,” giving fans an Easter egg. The song itself is otherworldly, and brings you to another dimension almost. It is a good ending to the record and brings all the album’s themes together into one song.
Overall, Intellectual Property by Waterparks is a mind-blowing, experimental record that showcases the talent and versatility of the band. Each song is different from the others and tells the story of toxic relationships and guilt that comes from years of religious traumas, while also dealing with growing as a person. This album is going to sound amazing live as Waterparks embark on their summer North American tour, that just kicked off this week.
