It’s been two years since Waterparks released its last album, “Greatest Hits,” in 2021. In those two years, the band has gone on tour around the world and teased/released singles for their upcoming album. On Friday, the band finally released its fifth studio record, “INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.”
The record starts out with the very polarizing track, “ST*RF---ER,” with its fast hyper-pop beats and sparkling sound effects. It’s an interesting song to start the album off; however, it introduces several elements that are sprinkled throughout the rest of the record that listeners can become acquainted with.
The next track, “REAL SUPER DARK,” solidifies the strangeness of the record. It opens with demented-sounding guitars and a woman saying, “Let me speak to your manager” and Waterparks’ lead singer, Awsten Knight, responding with, “Oh, you mean Benji? He’s f**king busy.” It’s an intriguing introduction that grabs the attention of the listener. Overall, the song, like the rest of the album, appeals to the fans with different quips and “inside jokes” (like Waterparks’ drummer, Otto Woods, being a serial killer) that may make fans laugh.
The next three tracks, lead single, “FUNERAL GREY,” “BRAINWASHED” and “2 BEST FRIENDS” are a lot more mellow, including simple, poppy guitars and drums. They are very reminiscent of the band’s past sound from albums like “Double Dare” (2016) and “FANDOM” (2019). The lyrics are similar amongst the tracks, with Knight yearning for a certain person even though he “tries not to think of (them).” This continues to be a theme throughout the rest of the record as Knight struggles with loving them but feels conflicted with himself.
This theme is the most present in the pop-rock track “SELF-SABOTAGE” in which Knight describes a rocky relationship where he struggles with himself emotionally and mentally. In the chorus, he sings, “I'm on my way to you, but I self-sabotage / So I might drive my car and crash into your garage.” In the post-chorus, he questions himself by saying, “What the f**k is wrong with me?” It’s a serious, yet relatable song even if the instrumentals are upbeat and catchy.
The last four tracks on the album are quite all over the place in terms of sound. “RITUAL” opens with a sample from a popular meme where a boy asks, “What if I want to have sex before I get married?” and an older woman replies with “Well, I guess you just have to be prepared to die.” Sonically, the sound is similar to “REAL SUPER DARK” as well as the lead single to Waterparks' 2019 album, “FANDOM” with its distorted guitars and almost demented vocals.
The next two songs, “F**K ABOUT IT (feat. blackbear)” and “CLOSER,” are slower tracks that make the listener sway to the beat. However, “F**K ABOUT IT” is a lot more hyper with its electronic beats and added electric guitar solo while “CLOSER” is more acoustic and draws out the emotional appeal of the lyrics.
Finally, the album closes out with the hyper-electronic and sonically-massive track, “A NIGHT OUT ON EARTH.” It’s a perfect wrap-up to the album as it showcases many of the instrumentals that have been heard throughout the record. The lyrical themes fully come together as they showcase Knight’s struggles not only with his love life but his new adult life as a rockstar.
It’s important to note here a massive theme that is a huge part of the album. In a tweet posted to Waterparks’ Twitter account, Knight explains the details on the album cover of “INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.” He states, “...a large part of the album has to do with processing and growing past religious guilt.”
He goes into more detail about how this theme is shown through the album art, but it’s interesting to see how it is translated through the lyrics of the record. On songs like “RITUAL” and “A NIGHT OUT ON EARTH,” this theme of religious guilt comes through quite clearly in lyrics like, “Was I loved or was I right? I kissed a couple people in a week. Am I gonna go to Hell in my sleep? Or will God forgive me?” Moreover, it’s a very deep theme that should be mentioned upon listening to this record.
Overall, “INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY” by Waterparks is a sonically strange record with intriguing themes that listeners can relate to. As of now, the band is heading across the US and other countries on its The Property Tour this spring and summer.
Rating: 3/5
