Waaves and Say Anything have teamed up to create Cherry Soda, a collaborative rock album, releasing on September 18th. The second single from this project, “Still Alive,” evokes a sun-drenched early 2000s nostalgia, which seems to pair perfectly with the fun and free vibe of the upcoming record. Waaves is known for their indie surf rock dealings, and melding this with the emo pop punk of Say Anything provides listeners with an original and stimulating experience.
“Still Alive” is a track that’s surf rock forward in the verses, but grows to include those classic emo guitar riffs in the chorus, mixing genres seamlessly. You can hear Say Anything’s signature sound and Williams’ emo influences through the beachy California rock heart that Waaves is known for. The lyrics portray a relaxed, laissez-faire mentality to life: “I’m stumbling home / At least we’re still alive / You’re totally cool.”
The music video perfectly depicts what this track is all about. It opens with two cartoon twin luchadors, rolling around an LA-esque landscape in their top down car. We follow them as they drive the vehicle around to collect snacks like ice cream and popcorn, and lettered tiles that end up spelling out S-T-I-L-L A-L-I-V-E. The friends jam out to the song as the scenes change and the day goes on, and they fully enjoy themselves no matter what comes their way like the lyrics and song title exemplify. It is hard not to immediately compare this video to something straight out of Grand Theft Auto. As Waaves’ music has been featured on the video game before, “Still Alive” is another song that would fit flawlessly on the next soundtrack.
Lead singer and songwriter of Waaves, Nathan Williams, said that Say Anything’s Max Bemis DMed him last July looking to work on a new project together. Since his youth, Williams has been inspired by early 2000s emo, and thought working together on this new, innovative music with Bemis would be right up his alley. Fans of both bands have been vocal about their excitement for this new record, sharing through Instagram comments that this is “the collab we didn’t know we needed” and that they are “ready for the emo-ification of Waaves.”
Listen to “Still Alive” here: https://isurrender.ffm.to/stillalive