Over two years since their last album, Texas trio Waterparks are deep into the making of their next full-length. Recording in a fun-house with Barbie-themed rooms and a life-sized Predator, mastermind Awsten Knight reveals what’s been going down…
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. So anything that we can do to mix it up this time I’ll take. I’m like, ‘You know what? I’ve seen what happens with this recipe.’ It’s not that I’m unsatisfied with how things have gone, but I feel like you have to push yourself, to reach further and get more out of the music.”
“I’m trying to make music that would instantly click with childhood me. I’m not trying to necessarily throw curveballs out for the sake of it. I feel like sometimes bands get stuck in that trap. It’s like they get a little bit of feedback, and then they start doing things that almost feel like they’re doing them for the sake of impressing other musicians. We don’t want to do that.”
“There’s no point in giving somebody something that isn’t your best effort, because if they’re willing to take the time to listen to you in the age of digital-shit-noise, then they deserve your best effort. Being on your phone, or just holding your phone, feels poisonous. It takes a little bit of my soul. When I’m on my phone too much, I’m so sad by, like, 5pm. I want to be better than what people get on their phone, so I have to make sure they get the best.”
“When I was really young – I’m talking fourth, fifth, sixth grade – I would hear a song and just know whether it was special or timeless. We’ve finished about eight-and-a-half songs now, and there’s a lot that I think are incredible, but again, this isn’t about incredible. This is about something more. It has to be timeless, or I don’t want it.”
“We’ve been recording out in Long Island, New York in what is basically a fun-house. Every album we’d done before was in Los Angeles, where I’d go home at the end of the day and return to my usual environment. But being out here for weeks at a time, away from everything familiar, puts me in a different headspace. The place we’re recording in now is insane. It’s full of random, themed rooms: there’s Barbie, G.I. Joe, Elvis and there’s even a Playboy-themed bathroom. There’s movie memorabilia everywhere – even a life-sized Predator. It’s wild and surreal, and downstairs there’s a full studio set-up. Being in such a bizarre, immersive space really shifts how I approach music.”
Waterparks’ new album will be released in 2026. This interview originally appeared in the autumn 2025 issue of the magazine.
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