Anybody who knows me well enough is aware of my absolute obsession with the band Waterparks. They have been on my radar for little less than a year, ever since the release of their EP Cluster, which has some of my favorite songs on it. So to say I had been anticipating the release of their first ever LP with Double Dare would be an understatement. Frontman Awsten Knight had previously stated that they would only ever release an LP if they felt all of the songs were the absolute best they can be, and the effort put in by every member was apparent upon the first listen. Although this review may seem biased, I can assure the raving is well-deserved for Waterparks.

The album opens with the song “Hawaii (Stay Awake),” the second single to be released, which pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Hawaii” sounds like it belongs in a teen movie set in high school, radiating with summer vibes desperately needed in this so far dreary month of November. The rhythm change in the second half of verse two’s lyrics is playful and smartly done, solidifying ‘Waterpark’s mastering of dynamic songs, which is not often heard these days as most seem to think it will cause the listener to lose focus. On the contrary, I feel the change in rhythm makes the reader more alert of the song and how it sounds. Also, verse two’s lyrics were interesting, in the fact that Awsten Knight, the band’s primary lyricist vocabulary shines there, being able to fit multi-variable words into as quick of lines as he is using. The only critique I have is that because of all the other components of the song, the bridge tends to come off basic and unoriginal. Overall though, Hawaii is a solid song and indicator of what is to come on the rest of the album.

“Gloom Boys” comes next in the list, and Knight essentially admits to the Panic!/Fall Out Boy influence on his songs, with the lyrics “I like happy songs with titles that don’t match at all.” And of course, that influence is apparent, as the songs continue to be written in a major key and the lyrics tend to be from a place of sincerity. The pre-chorus’ lyrics are probably the best in the song, with lines like “…spin the bottle in your brain and match your weakness with a name.” In fact, the second pre-chorus has a spoken part that really showcases Knight’s unique vocal style, as well as some vocal slides in the first part of the bridge. Another thing, within the pre-chorus, Knight mentions his ceiling once again, which is about the second or third time it has been mentioned in the Waterpark’s discography. Mostly, the drum beat of this song is really one of the largest positives of the song, with an interesting pattern and overall solidness you can expect from drummer Otto Wood. The song ends on a fade out, which is actually interesting, as it very rarely seen in this day and age, let alone in any rock-based song.

“Stupid for You” was the first single released off of Double Dare in or around late August, and is quite possibly the most well-heard song off of this album. As a whole, it sounds very ‘scenestery,’ a word you do not know because I just made it up, but you feel in your soul. It is most apparent in the verses’ melody, rhythm, and lyrics. Which isn’t too say it’s a bad song at all, it’s just given me flashbacks because of how ‘cutesy-poo’ it is. I really enjoy the guitar work done by Geoff Wigington in this song, and the chord progression adds something fresh to what could have been a possibly stale song. The bridge contains some lovely syncopation and vocal play on the phrase “just a sour note.” In terms of lyrics, there’s nothing really to write home about, however the outro vocal manipulation and synth is just to die for, as Waterparks plays around with it, but manages to not fall flat as there is still some grit to the work.

“Royal” was the last single to come out before this record, about a week and a half before the official release of Double Dare, and the song really is at its best in the chorus. The synthesized group vocals is just so lovely to hear, and they melody is just so pretty, which seems to be the only way to describe it. The interesting thing is that in the chorus, a tambourine can actually be heard. In fact, it’s a lot louder than the drums, which seem to soften quite a bit in the chorus; an interesting mixing choice that nonetheless pays off for Waterparks. Right before the second verse, there is synth drop that can be best described as a water droplet sound, that adds this really unique flair to the switch between chorus and verse. Once again in the second verse, Knight plays with rhythm dynamics, which sounded amazing. What really stands out about this part is that Knight writes “… I work myself to death.

Don't believe me? Ask Geoff,” which I appreciated that he gave an actual name instead of the generic pop-punk “my friend(s)” route. Also, the constant changes in the bridge’s rhythm were nice to here. However, the main problem I had was that before the final chorus, the synth background sounded familiar, and I believe it was the exact same one used before by Waterparks. Although the band seems to be a fan of referencing their old songs, this didn’t feel as clever as other references, almost as if somebody was being lazy and just recycling material. There’s a difference between breaking the fourth wall and making your audience bored. The bass line is faint throughout, as per the norm for a Waterparks song, but what can be heard sounded interesting. Overall, it’s interesting to hear from the musician themselves about their uncertainty in their position. Hearing Knight’s lyrics about “…[falling] in love with everything that wants nothing to do with me,” poses questions to the listener, especially after he bashes the scene in “Little Violence,” that comes shortly after."

“Take Her to the Moon” is possibly the song that feels the most out of place on this record. Although obviously Waterparks has a techno influence, this song takes it to a whole other level. Possibly the most auto-tuned Knight has ever been, the song is extremely reminiscent of late 2000s techno-pop, very similar to something Cascada would sing, especially with the lyrics “make my way into your kiss,” and “…can you really get lost in heaven.” There are almost no discernible live instruments, allowing the band to play with the synthesizers they so seemingly enjoy. Once again, we get another reference to a ‘double dare,’ the first being in “Stupid for You.” It is a decent song, but not one that necessarily appeals to me.

“Made in America,” was the one song that I had to pause throughout the whole album, but not for any bad reason. It took me a while to figure it out, but the beginning line is the exact same melody as “Lay All Your Love on Me,” from Mamma Mia/ABBA, which confused my brain a little bit. Curse my musical theatre upbringing. Anyways, a definitive change from the ambiance of “Take Her to the Moon,” “Made in America” kicks things up a notch on the album bringing back the guitars and drums, which were at their peak. Next to “Little Violence,” this is probably the hardest song on the album. I found it an interesting choice to make the pre-chorus purely instrumental, instead using (surprise, surprise) synths, which luckily took a backseat in the chorus. For some reason, Awsten Knight’s breaths were very audible on this track, though if that was an artistic choice or I was just hyper-focusing, nobody will ever know. The stand out on here is the word play within the song, and criticism of American values, especially in lines like “We're justice warriors when we're bored, you see/ Buying bracelets and then channeling.” I definitely will find myself using the term ‘culture vultures’ Knight wrote, because it’s just so damn good of a phrase.

“Dizzy” slows everything down once again, giving a nice juxtaposition. It starts off with another reference to Knight himself, finding him “…wishing [he] was as brave as his last name suggests.” Knight really shines best when talking about his own feelings, and this album only proves this even more. The chorus slams into high gear, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. This is by far one of my favorite songs on the album, which mainly has to do with how absolutely relatable the lyrics are, and how well-written everything is here. “If I could trade my heart for a second brain,” and “Daylight savings gives me time to think/ Which is the last thing that I want since I don't drink,” are lyrics I can empathize with, and the not in the way the normal scene bands have been attempting since the Emo Revolution, as I like to call it. Also, ”…tying my veins into knots,” is such a lovely lyric, I’d want that on a phone background. If you are going to listen to any single song from Double Dare, I highly suggest this one.

“Powerless,” holy crap is the Madden brother’s influence apparent on this track. Especially in the chorus, the build-up and execution just screams of newer Good Charlotte songs. The background vocals in the pre-chorus are actually interesting, and keeps the signature Waterparks flair that would be missing otherwise. The bridge ups the ante of the song, but also adds the uniqueness the song desperately needs. However, my favorite part is the final line, “…devastate my personal space, I never like it anyway.” What a beautiful, moving line.

“Little Violence” comes after two pretty slow, chill songs, and can I say it goes straight into high gear. One of the most aggressive Waterparks songs to date. The drums and guitar are absolutely perfect for the tone of the song, and every member brings their A game here. Hearing Knight change his normal vocal singing to add more punch to the already awesome song. The bridge vocal runs are quite pretty, which contrasts the edgy vibe of the rest of the song.There’s at least two to three references to older songs by the band within the lyrics and possibly backing tracks, though do not quote me on that one. The lyrics are scathing, and Knight does not hold back on how he feels with very blatant lyrics like “These copy cats are getting feral now,” “I still think it's dumb I need to strain when I sing/Or else dudes won't like me 'cause "it's just not their thing" (fuck you)/I wanna be a sellout just to piss y'all off/
While AbsolutePunk's sucking off beard-punk songs,” which that last line literally made me say ‘damn’ out loud. This song definitely is one I can see finding something to like about this song.

“21 Questions” makes my top songs list unquestionably, perhaps for the entire song. The lyrics are touching, and the acoustic vibe of the song just gives it the perfect tone it needs. It reminds me of Go Radio or even old school Mayday Parade songs. I feel it did what “Stupid for You” was trying to do, but better. The fact that were hearing about a person wanting a girl, and actually considering the aftermath is so refreshing, as it’s always just the same “I want you, but I don’t have you,” stuff all the time, which even when spoken about was done well in lyrics like “Conflicted looks good on me.” The crescendo before the final chorus was just such a fantastic build-up, it was just overall such a good song. I didn’t write that much for this song because it doesn’t need that much description. Do yourself a favor and listen to this song.

“It Follows” definitely follows in the suit of the chill synthesizers from the horror movie, but the uptempo beat keeps the listener interested. Although the music itself is overall very nice, the lyrics are once again the standout, and some of my favorite lyrics from this album come from this song. “This city is insidious/I'm sitting here delirious,” is pleasing to the ear and such a clever example of word play. However the lyric that really hits the listener in the guy is “Kiss me like nobody would when I was fifteen.” Oh my goodness, what a lyric.

“Plum Island” is the second to last song on the album, and it begins with some stick work for the percussion section from Otto Wood, which was really cool to hear, but took me a couple of listens to actually register. It seems like all members are using different techniques, as Knight is actually sticking to one single note for the entire verse for once. The only thing is I wish the Geoff’s guitar work was a little louder in the mix during the pre-chorus, as what could be heard was very unique. I did enjoy the almost entirely instrumental chorus, as a lot of bands feel like they have to fill that area up because it’s supposed to hook the listener in. The lyrics once again discuss Knight being fed up with the ‘scene’ (insert all-encompassing arm movements here), as this seems to be a recurring problem for him. I really liked the line “I breathe nostalgia until I’m bored,” for some reason, it just seemed like a very lovely way of phrasing things.

The album closes with the song “I’ll Always be Around,” which was nice, but not very noteworthy. The verses’ lyrics are simplistic, and the chorus is extremely reminiscent to a Five Seconds of Summer Song, which might be in part to the gang vocals in the background/Madden Brothers. I enjoyed the strings included within the track, as they made the song very pretty, but overall there was nothing I found ingenious or the like. Not to make it sound like it’s a bad song, don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s extremely hard for Waterparks to write a bad song; it’s a decent one, it’s just not a great one like the rest of the album is.

There’s very few songs on this album I’d willingly skip. With the exception of “Take Her to the Moon” and “I’ll Always be Around,” there was always something within a song that made me want to listen to it again. For their very first LP, Waterparks did a bang-up job, everybody putting in the effort to give fans and newcomers something to enjoy. Although both by me and in the actual press, Awsten Knight is discussed a lot, both Geoff Wigington and Otto Wood are fantastic at what they do, and their instrumentals were a huge highlight of the album, especially the percussion work. The mixing on this album is masterful as well, and as a huge stickler for bass being a critical part of a song, I actually didn’t find me missing it all that much, as there were other instruments to make up for it instead of a big gap where the bass should be. In regards to critiques, the song structure often got too similar, past the point where it was ‘The Waterparks Way,’ and more towards songs becoming predictable. I’m not saying to change the verse/pre-chorus/chorus traditional structure, I’m just saying that if I can almost always expect a tempo change in the second half of the second verse, there might want to be a switch. And again, I didn’t mind it all that much, there was enough variation where it wasn’t a problem, it just could have been a lot bigger of one. Also, Awsten Knight lyrics have a tendency to repeat themselves a lot, sticking to the common themes of his current girlfriend, his own doubts, issues he has with the scene, and so on. But for the most part it tends to work towards his favor, as he seems to be writing about what he’s most passionate about, and it shows. His phrasing and wit seem to draw directly from the Wentz/Ross School of Self-Aware Writing, which we haven’t seen enough of lately.

All in all, Waterparks is what is needed in the pop-punk/pop-rock ‘scene.’ An all-new Frankenstein's monster of a band, they are a cool glass of water in the dried up dessert of bands out there. Although they play around with a lot more synthesizers than some of the more ‘purist’ bands would feel comfortable doing so, they still sound like an actual band, and the synths don’t sound as clean as other pop-rock bands, who sound almost a little too polished to garner the rock category. Not only that, Waterparks actually seems to have a vision and direction for where they want their band to go, something that isn’t always apparent in others, which is even referenced in the song “Little Violence.” As time has gone by, Waterparks has gotten bigger and bigger, and to see where they take themselves is something I don’t want to miss.

Double Dare is one of the most immediately likeable alternative albums of 2016. I give it a light 4.5/5 stars. Go listen if you can.