WATERPARKS UNLOCKS THEIR TRUE FEELINGS IN NEW SINGLE ‘IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL’

The best songs catch listeners by surprise, throwing in shocking lyrics and instrumental plot twists at every turn — and Waterparks' newest release certainly does that and more.

Waterparks, the three-part Texan pop-rock group, released the second single off their highly anticipated sixth album, which is currently in the works and without a name. Released on Sept. 19, “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” has been teased since late August when the band surprise-performed the track at Readings & Leeds Festival in the United Kingdom. Videos swirled online of the new song, of which they only played roughly one minute out of the three total. 

Following the explosive first single “RED GUITAR,” vocalist Awsten Knight, guitarist Geoff Wigington and drummer Otto Wood are back with more to say, this time at their very own fanbase. 

If you’re familiar with Waterparks, you know this isn’t even close to their first song that puts a spotlight on toxicity in fanbases. FANDOM, the band’s third studio album released in 2019, explores this concept in depth, with songs about fans that reject changes in music style, the hardships of touring and unrealistic expectations fans place on artists.

“IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” follows this same route, but goes in even harder. After all, the opening line in the first verse is “I hate 50% of our fans,” shocking listeners with such a brutally honest line that you don’t really hear artists say. Knight uses this verse (and the song as a whole) to get every thought he has off his chest, writing these lyrics as if they’re a rant in a diary entry. 

Knight jumps into lines about inappropriate actions fans have taken, such as digging into his private life while simultaneously spreading rumors online about him knocking fans up. Given Knight’s extreme presence online, he sees nearly everything social media has to say about him and the band. This comes with its downfalls, as we see in these lyrics that he and his loved ones feel affected by the tasteless rumors and disrespect, whether it's out of concern for Knight’s mental health or for the safety of those in his life. 

“Wanna tell you to die but I can't say that in a verse / Yeah, yeah / Right?” Knight sings at the end of the first verse with a laugh. 

Graphic by Haley Petrone (Crave Music Magazine)

The catchy, 90s-hip-hop chorus kicks in hard, with the band wondering if lyrics were, in fact, confidential, then they can think or say whatever they want at any time without retribution. “All that you hear is me go ‘Na-na-na-na-na-na-na’,” Knight sings, showing that with this newfound confidentiality, he’d sound like a happy, go-lucky singer spewing gibberish instead of what he really thinks, keeping everyone happy and ignorantly bliss. Instrumentally, the chorus swirls listeners’ brains with intense synths, guitars, drums and addicting harmonies and backing vocals.

Waterparks has a knack for creative production, and “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” is no exception, especially with the help from songwriters Robert and Joe Ragosta and producer NCKZN. The song opens with a train rushing past, ushering listeners into a wild ride ahead. There are bell sounds scattered throughout the song, and that combined with Knight’s theatrical line delivery makes for an exciting song you can never get sick of. 


While the first verse targeted fandoms, the second goes in on the music industry and their unfair, unrealistic standards.

“One label said that things will go great / If you don't talk back and don't put on weight / You're a little too niche for the radio / But you'll probably drive Tiktok crazy though,” Knight sings in the opening lines of the second verse. 

These lyrics explore the nature of the music industry today, which pushes artists toward TikTok and other social media platforms to promote and release their music on, and only if it does well on these apps does the record label care enough to push it toward radio. Knight sarcastically laments on the cookie-cutter ideologies labels and music executives stick onto their artists, saying that everything will go perfectly for his band as long as he never talks back or loses a conventionally attractive appearance. This is an ironic line, though, because it seems like these characteristics may not even matter, because the label calls Waterparks “too niche” anyway to succeed on mainstream radio. Where “RED GUITAR” discussed the impacts the industry has on a singers’ dream, “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” hones in on the hypocritical rules they must follow to stay signed. 

A stand-out moment in the song is the name drop of Timothée Chalamet in the middle of the second verse. This shoutout explores the concept that having super famous connections would get anyone more clicks and streams, leading to more money, fame and visibility, filling those voids the label points out. The Academy Award nominee has been referenced by Waterparks in numerous social media posts over the past year, with Knight often tagging Chalamet in place of Wood in videos online. 


After another building chorus, Knight ends with a speaking verse asking himself what else he has to talk about to fill another section of the song. “Oh, okay we could talk about when **** called me on the phone and said he was gonna fucking kill me,” Knight says, hinting at more insane experiences, with a bleep effect overtop of the confidential name. “Wait, did you just bleep ****, but not fuck? / That doesn't even make sense, don't bleep me on my song,” Knight humorously says. This isn’t the first time Waterparks has redacted parts of songs before, with previous examples of this on 2021’s “LIKE IT” and the demo “Teenage Jealousy (1997 demo).” 

The last words uttered by Knight in the song are “Oh, we're fading out, okay, good / Track four,” hinting at the tracklist order for the upcoming album coming together, and a fun transition to whatever the next song may be. 

“IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” is a pure Waterparks song at its core: a track that is unafraid to speak its mind, rather bluntly, while infusing irresistible beats and harmonies throughout to create another addicting journal entry to the world of Waterparks. 

Waterparks is currently performing small headline shows in three cities across the United States before hitting the rest of the country this winter on THE PROWLER TOUR.

Get tickets to see Waterparks live: here. 

Stream “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” and keep up with Waterparks: 

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