You Can't Run From Waterparks’ New Single
Written by Ev Fuss
American pop-rock band Waterparks just released their second single of their new era, and they weren’t afraid to let their fans know their true opinions. The single, “If Lyrics Were Confidential," sounds like a 90s and early 2000s-inspired diss track that attacks invasive fans, exploitative record labels, and some guy who told the lead singer, Awsten Knight, that they would kill him.
As its name suggests, If Lyrics Were Confidential gives voice to everything the band has wanted to say over the past few years but was told was too taboo or off-brand. The song reminds me of “My Band” by D12 in terms of its general sound and narrative, but it carries the distinct sound that Awsten Knight has established for Waterparks through his lyrics and vocal cadence. Criticizing exploitative record labels and general fan culture isn’t new for Waterparks, as quite a bit of their music mentions their commentary towards these things, but this new single definitely confronts it more head-on.
The first “diss” of the song goes “I hate fifty percent of our fans, and the other half understands / And to the ones who don't: / Go cry and choke on both of my middle finger ringed-up hands.” Awsten isn’t one to brag about wealth, so this line feels more like a nod to the ’90s diss-track vibe of the song. If you have heard of Waterparks before, you likely know that much of their fanbase is known for their parasocial and obsessive behavior. This is one of the first times Awsten really confronts this, saying that he hates half of the band's fans. This verse goes on to say how he feels like his relationships have to be secret, because of how afraid he is to get his significant other's life upheaved by stalkers and obsessive fans. “Pics of us got me sick because / Those grimy little f-ks make it dangerous 'cause / You shouldn't know where she lives or works / Wanna tell you to die but I can't say that in a verse, yeah, yeah, right?” Awsten goes to extremes in this song, but he makes pretty valid points about the invasion of his privacy and personal life, especially when it seems that parasocial fans have been on the rise in recent years for many different fanbases.
After the chorus, Awsten shares his thoughts on record labels and the pressures of forced marketing and promotion. He has a little spiel about Timothee Chalamet, and how record heads think that knowing a higher up is one of the best ways to move forward as a band, rather than actual music and talent, “‘Would really help if you knew Tim / It'd probably get you some spins.’” This verse ends with Awsten discussing how Waterparks may have been asked to be sponsored by an alcohol company in the past, an ironic pairing as he himself has openly been straight edge his entire life.
Overall, this song really threw me for a loop. The song overall fits pretty naturally within Waterparks' discography, but I never would’ve expected them to say a lot of these things in such a straightforward manner. I think this new era will lead to a lot of brutal honesty from the band, and I can’t wait to hear more. Stream “If Lyrics Were Confidential” on all streaming platforms.
