Waterparks have released their surprise new song “ICE” on streaming platforms. The boundary-pushing band first shared the track via socials last week, alongside the caption “FUCK ICE. NOT ON THE ALBUM, RECORDED LAST NIGHT.” Written, recorded, and released within a 24-hour window, “ICE” captures the band’s immediate emotional response to the current political climate and ongoing ICE raids across the United States.
“ICE” is not connected to an upcoming album or formal release cycle. Instead, it exists as a standalone moment, created and shared in real time as the band processed fear, anger, and concern for communities directly impacted by recent events. Waterparks intentionally bypassed a traditional rollout in favor of urgency and direct communication with their audience.
Speaking on the release, frontman Awsten Knight shared:
“If you know me at all, or follow me on any social media, you know how I feel about where the country is at. The extent to which Trump and his anonymous, kidnapper, murderer, incel, coward ICE agents have terrorized the nation has become so extreme that I felt like I couldn’t not release something like this. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly how to help, and sharing resources is a great start, but I know we have a platform, and if I can change anyone’s minds, or reach younger people in exceedingly red households whose only window into the world is their parents, I wanna do that. I’m also happy people are hearing and sharing it, despite it being so heavily censored by the tech-right oligarchy, who have spent the last 2 years scooping up every social media platform for this exact reason. At the bare minimum, I hope it validates people’s feelings toward the situation and empowers people to get out and protest. Continue sharing information and stay safe.”
