You can call it alchemy: giving fans barely two days to prepare, Waterparks has dropped “BETTER THAN THERAPY,” an immediate song-of-the-summer contender and already fan-favorite track off their upcoming album, JINX, set to release next month.
Waterparks — the trio of Awsten Knight, Geoff Wigington and Otto Wood – have had no trouble commanding the attention of the scene for the last decade, captivating audiences with their exhilarating live shows, eclectic tracks and full length albums that are nothing short of generational. It would be safe to say that the last year alone has been monumental for the band. Summer 2025 brought us “RED GUITAR,” the first single from their then unnamed album. This was a turning point for the band, not only a start to a new era, but the track landed them on alternative radio charts. They went on to release their hard hitting fandom-callout track “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL,” and the fan-favorite tracks “ANY MINUTE NOW” and “PROWLER,” of which the latter was the namesake to their most recent tour.
With their highly anticipated sixth studio album just weeks away, Waterparks took to social media Wednesday, surprise revealing the fifth single, “BETTER THAN THERAPY,” would be out less than two days later. The band live-debuted the track unreleased at the Washington, D.C. date of Vans Warped Tour earlier this month, and since then, fans online have been spreading videos of the performance and sharing lyric theories, anxiously awaiting the track’s official release.
The band has proven they’re actively stepping into a new direction with JINX while simultaneously staying true to their signature Waterparks sound. In an interview with Mike Fishkin for Idobi Radio, Knight’s main collaborator and “BETTER THAN THERAPY” co-writer, Joe Ragosta, spoke about working on the track:
“‘BETTER THAN THERAPY’ helped round out the whole album… There’s waterparks in every single one of these songs. Every single song has Awsten’s attitude, personality, the sound that he, Geoff and Otto have created over the years.”
As a dial tone rings us in, we’re met with a rich guitar intro driving the listener straight into a fresh, yet nostalgic sound of Waterparks. Knight immediately gets cheeky with his opening lyrics, “I like that you don’t got a waiting room where I sit there with other dudes / Waiting for my turn to get to you,” letting his inner lover-boy shine right through distorted guitars. Upon first listen, it’s almost impossible to sit still. Between the stacks of flawless vocal layering and an infectious high-energy instrumental, this is easily going to be a live favorite — perfect for moshing, dancing and crowd-surfing galore.
The first chorus’ initial instrumental hit brings us back to a familiar feeling. Fans have pointed out the lead guitars share similarities to a track entitled “Watch What Happens Next” from their 2019 album FANDOM. Knight shared in an interview on The Joe Vulpis Podcast that tracks on JINX, like “BETTER THAN THERAPY,” are reminiscent sonically to their first albums while still exploring new genre territories.
Lyrically the chorus is playful and witty; typical Waterparks charm. Rhyming “Draw you like Titanic / Worship you satanic” seems to be just a tease of the clever lines Knight has up his sleeves for the rest of the album.
The post-chorus ties everything together, with Knight sharing his own personal fears of how deep he is falling for someone, and no matter how hard they may love him back, it is all scaring him. Yet at the same time, the love they share is somewhat healing for himself, proclaiming that being with them is in fact “BETTER THAN THERAPY.”
The therapy references came in full swing throughout the 3-minute track, somehow both intertwined in in-your-face and subtle manners. Knight admires his partner’s confidentiality, a double meaning to both therapist-patient discretion and also a nod to “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” where Knight laments on the ups and (many) downs of having a fanbase, specifically in terms of navigating his own relationships.
“I like your personality / And confidentiality / Just don’t be fucking mad at me / When I act out dramatically”
The song lyrically compares being alone in conversation with your partner to talking in circles with a therapist — never truly getting anything accomplished. However, being with a partner comes with perks:
“Talkin’ circles on the couch / Epiphanies are never found / So we just lay here makin’ out”
Knight’s vocal performance on the track is nothing short of stellar; it’s evident he has taken every step of this album creation extremely seriously. The second verse is sharp, with staccato-ed enunciation delivering the message Knight is exclaiming, while being accompanied by angelic adlibs within the stacks upon stacks of vocal layering.
The beginning of the bridge is utterly hypnotizing as we’re met with softer vocals by Knight, backed by a twinkling piano instrumental before erupting into a 2000s post-hardcore influenced breakdown. Listeners are then swept away by an electric guitar solo, full of stylistic picking and slides sure to have young guitar players scouring the internet for tutorials in the future. The drums’ infectious double pedal accentuates the unique tone of the guitars perfectly as we’re brought back into the chorus one final time.
After a very successful fan reaction to the track, Knight took to Instagram Live Friday afternoon. Seemingly ready to talk about the song, Knight instead sent fans into a frenzy, staring into the camera as he lathered his formerly-blonde hair with a perfect shade of pink. Hundreds of fans spammed the chat, while “BETTER THAN THERAPY” played on loop in the background.
This move signifies the newest era of Waterparks is upon us, and it’s pinker than ever.
Preorder JINX here.
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