Waterparks: Redefining the Boundaries of “Alternative”
Waterparks performing at Big Night Live in Boston, MA
All Images Taken by Elaine Tantra // @ElaineTantra
It’s been six months since the Houston-originated band Waterparks released their fourth studio album, Greatest Hits; contrary to its title, it contains entirely new songs. Now, the trio—Awsten Knight (singer, songwriter, guitarist), Geoff Wigington (guitarist) and Otto Wood (drummer)—are on a 25 show tour called “A Night Out on Earth” to promote their new music.
Their outside-the-box sound emerges in full force on this album, making it their boldest release to date. No song sounds alike, and the listening experience is like opening a present every track and being delighted by the contents. “Fuzzy” and “Violet!” boast dreamy falsettos and impressive high notes, while “See You In the Future” and “LIKE IT” bring high energy and darker tones to the album’s sound and themes. “The Secret Life of Me” evokes a kaleidoscopic, Mario Kart Rainbow Road vibe while “Lowkey As Hell” and “American Graffiti” ground the album with a more traditional alternative mood. The album is experimental, striking and absolutely filled to the brim with sound. No matter how many times you listen, you’re sure to hear something new.
This explosive direction for the band’s music definitely paid off; with over 2 million monthly Spotify listeners, viral TikTok songs and a tour that’s sold out multiple dates, Waterparks are stoutly on the path to continued acclaim.
Awsten Knight, singer, songwriter & guitarist for Waterparks
I interviewed frontman Awsten Knight in advance of their show in Boston on Nov. 9, and we talked about how the tour is going, reception of the new album and his experiences in the alternative music scene.
“The shows themselves have actually been selling better than like any other tour we’ve ever done,” Knight answered when asked about “A Night Out On Earth.” Of course, I also asked about his prior experiences playing shows in the Northeast, to which he said:
“Boston goes so hard every time…Honestly, the whole Northeast is great. That’s like my favorite part of the United States to play. There’s just something about the hype at the Northeast shows.”
Waterparks performing their “A Night Out on Earth” tour at Big Night Live
And indeed we went hard. Boston showed up in waves that night, selling out Big Night Live, a 2,000 capacity venue. There’s nothing in the world like the pure, positive chaos of a Waterparks concert. Between playing their Greatest Hits track “Fruit Roll Ups” for the first time at a live U.S. concert, asking the audience to quiet down so someone could take a 30-second nap and inviting someone up on stage to play guitar for their song “Stupid For You,” Waterparks made this a show to remember.
As for their music, Knight is confident in the direction of their release. He’s been trying to look at Twitter mentions less in the past year, but when he does look, he sees a shift in how people are experiencing this album. “Anytime I check,” he said, “I see something like, ‘I didn’t like this song at first’ or ‘I didn’t get this one at first, but oh my god it’s so fucking good! I saw this one live and holy shit I get it now!’ I kinda knew this album would be that way, like, kinda a grower…Some people who like it might not fully get it at first. Or like, might not appreciate it.” He doesn’t blame people for not coming around to the album at first, since it’s a departure from the sound people are used to. Knight asserts that the music is “still Waterparks,” the band is just trying things they haven’t done before.
Alternative is experiencing a revival, and Waterparks are pioneering the reformation. Knight has spoken for other publications about how there seems to be an alternative revival every decade; this time, Waterparks could be leading it.
“As much as I love it, alternative music is so fucking gate-keepy...There are all these weird unwritten rules and laws…And I’m like, why is this kind of music so fucking restrictive?” Knight said it “feels like the culture as a whole that you’re trying to…embrace and even uplift when you can is like dragging you down.” He also noted that it happens every time “an artist does something that is deemed out of character.”
Knight also gave me a little glimpse inside the music industry. “Nobody knows what an artist’s intention is. And that’s not to say that, like, everybody goes into art with pure intentions,” he said. “I know there’s a large amount of people that go into it being like, ‘How much can I rip off this song without getting sued? How do we—how do we do this? Oh, this is gonna be the trending thing coming up? Okay, yeah, let’s chase that.’”
It seems like an idea to laugh at, and he knows it. “It sounds like some conspiracy shit, but it’s truly not, like, literally sheets go around, like, ‘this artist is looking for a song like this.’ I’ve done writing for people.” He acknowledged that “there are definitely trends and patterns…that are kind of chased” during that process, and he concluded by saying, “you can always follow patterns in culture, especially in music. Like the look and sound of it, what’s going on.”
You heard the man. Make sure to keep an eye out for Waterparks and their future releases, because they’re at the forefront of the new patterns and culture emerging in this current alternative revival.
Check out Elaine Tantra’s Photo Gallery from the Waterparks, Zeph and Phem Concert at Big Night Live:
