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"We’ve opened the door to be able to do anything": Awsten Knight talks Waterparks' "experimental" new album
Awsten Knight promises "a lot of craziness" from Waterparks' upcoming fourth album – the follow-up to 2019's FANDOM.
- Words:
- Emily Carter
- Photo:
- Jawn Rocha
"THERE IS A NEW WATERPARKS ALBUM," announced Awsten Knight – in his signature caps-lock style – on January 1 this year, letting fans know that the FANDOM era was over and the band's fourth full-length was officially on the way. And while we're eagerly awaiting details of said album, Awsten invited Kerrang! into the studio recently to lift the lid on what he's been up to creatively.
If you've followed the Texan trio's discography up until now, then you'll know that no two releases Waterparks are even remotely similar – and album four is absolutely no exception, reveals Awsten. “I’m glad we’ve set the bar and the expectation of, ‘Hey, we’re going to make all kinds of weird shit, and shit that you’re not going to expect,’” he says proudly. “We’ve opened the door to be able to do anything, and my only hope is that people don’t go into it expecting too much of one thing, because they will never, ever, ever be right.”
Read this: 30 albums to get excited for in 2021
The frontman tells K! that he has played several close friends some of Waterparks' new material already – and their reactions have been pretty mixed (in a good way).
“It’s different,” Awsten says. “A couple of people have been like, ‘Man, I’m nervous… some of this stuff’s really weird…’ But other people are like, ‘Holy fuck, this is by far the best!’
“It’s for sure the most experimental so far. Actually, my friend Travis was like, ‘You know what I like about these songs? You’re constantly like, ‘Wooo, arghhh!’ It seems like you’re having a lot of fun!’ And I was like, ‘I was having fun, but also, like, breaking down…’ (laughs). It’s a lot of craziness.”
He adds: “The thing is, no-one’s just like, ‘Okay.’ They’re like, ‘What the fuck?!’ or, ‘This is my favourite!’ It’s definitely gonna divide people, for sure. But if you’re making art that’s not poking a little bit, or at least making people think, ‘Oh my god, what do I think about this?!’ then you’re kind of fucking boring.”
Seriously. Cannot. Wait.
Until then, stick Lowkey As Hell on repeat:
Read this: Why is pop-punk so big on TikTok?
