Waterparks are back—and they’ve brought the chaos with them. Today marks the arrival of Red Guitar, the band’s first release since signing to BMG, and it’s everything you’d expect from Awsten Knight and co: loud, catchy, dramatic, and totally unbothered by genre rules.
After a huge 2024 that saw them sell out The Palladium in LA and Terminal 5 in NYC, and ride the wave of Intellectual Property to the top of the Billboard Alternative Albums chart, Waterparks aren’t slowing down. In fact, they’re only getting louder. With Red Guitar, they’ve dropped an anthemic love letter wrapped in distortion, heartbreak, and that classic neon-grunge Waterparks energy.
And just in case releasing a potential song-of-the-summer wasn’t enough, the band also announced they’ll be hitting the main stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals this August—marking another massive step forward for one of the most unpredictable bands in alt music.
As always, frontman Awsten Knight had some things to say. “This is the first song back from the best band in the world,” he says, before comparing the band’s return to Marvel superheroes and promising that Red Guitar—or maybe the next song—is about to be their biggest yet. “It’s a plaque attack, baby.”
If Red Guitar is anything to go by, this new chapter for Waterparks is shaping up to be their boldest and brightest yet. Stream it, scream it, and maybe start prepping for August—because they’re about to light up those festival stages.
