What I discovered: Searching for Water Machine online will wreck your algorithm for weeks. From filters to soda streams, the internet will desperately try to sell you anything but the kind of Water Machine you’d actually pay good money for.

The answer you’re looking for: God Park, the debut LP from the Glasgow band Water Machine. Because, honestly, what a fascinating band this is. Opener Clouds kicks off with a rolling bass riff that could nod to their Fat Cat labelmates Holiday Ghosts—only to veer into radio-friendly pop. That’s just the start. God Park is full of twists and turns. Call it art punk, post-punk, or indie pop and you’d be partly right—but still missing the point. (Closer Hando, for example, strolls into country territory.)

Water Machine channel decades of underground quirk—think Go-Go’s, The Pastels, Beat Happening, B-52’s, X-Ray Spex (Park Highs)—without ever sounding derivative. God Park is unpredictable, deeply listenable, and a whole lot of fun.

Leave genre expectations at the door and prepare for a trip.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp