It’s no secret that Waterlines are a current favourite here at Moshville Towers, having blown me away during their Jager Stage set at Bloodstock ’23. They managed to do so without destroying the strengthened barricades (thank you, Tortured Demon) and with frontman Ben Mars handling security duties, safely catching crowdsurfers, while performing. Hands down one of the best bands I saw that year and they continued to show the “live music is everything” ethos when I caught them in Glasgow a few months later.
With the band on the go for a couple of years it’s surprising to realise that they’ve not release a collection of music yet. Of course, I’m old and I’m still used to the “album / tour / album / tour” cycle which these days really isn’t a thing any more for non-major label acts. WDGAF Vol 1 (pretty sure you can figure out what the abbreviation stands for) is six tracks plus a live version that showcases them well. The one thing that stands out is that it’s more metal and less fusion/dance-metal than I would have expected from my memories of the live shows, but this actually works out.
Live they come across as bouncy and happy and able to conjure “happy violence”. Listening to the likes of “Prey” and “Brace” without the band in front of you and… these guys are actually pretty angry, aren’t they? It’s the groove, though. Every song has that magical touch that lends itself to movement. They’re catchy and well-paced with clean vocals in the chorus for those who like to sing along; you can bounce, you can headbang, you can punch the air, you can circle pit… but you just can’t listen to a single song on here and want to stay still.
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WDGAF Vol 1 is a great, if brief, selection of songs, and good to listen to… but it pales next to what I know the band are like live. This sounds like a criticism but it isn’t. All the tracks, including the live rendition of “Brace”, are well produced and pound out of your speakers. It’s simply that Waterlines are so bloody good on stage (and running around off it) that I’d much rather be listening to it with a hundred sweaty people around me while Ben organises an all-female moshpit because why not?
Listen to this, enjoy it… and then book a ticket to see them live. They’re on the road in April, and playing Bloodstock on a much bigger stage in August. We’ll definitely be there for that. We also know some of their other plans but we’ll release those details when we’re allowed to ;)
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WDGAF Vol 1 is out on January 10th
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Waterlines: official | facebook | instagram | spotify | youtube
