Waterhouse began in February 2016 when Calvin Edwards and Ben Fredricks discovered a mutual longing to offer an alternative genre to the popular contemporary Christian music that is so prevalent at the school they attend, Moody Bible Institute. They decided to be the change themselves by starting a band of their own, along with Lorenzo Provagna and Paul Yang. “It comes down to a desire to reach people who are completely turned off by a lot of other kinds of music,” said Fredricks, who serves as the band’s rhythm guitarist and bassist. ​ He described his own tendency to reject certain music based solely on its style, regardless of the quality of the lyrics or other elements. “I’ve encountered a lot of people like that, and I want to make music that’s going to reach those people,” Fredricks said. Percussionist Provagna added, “A lot of people that listen to this type of music aren’t as close to God as we’d want them to be, but Waterhouse’s music is more relatable for them.” ​ According to Edwards, Waterhouse’s unique sound is post hardcore — a genre just below hardcore music — mixed with indie and spoken word. Lead guitarist Yang attributed bands like La Dispute, Defeater and mewithoutyou as major influencers of the sound that Waterhouse produces. “All the bands we’ve been influenced by have kind of morphed our sound,” Yang said. “We make it our own.” Waterhouse’s lyrics are just as unique and personal as its sound. “The writing and style are very in your face, kind of provocative,” Yang said. “The story lines are really different — not typical. What we’re writing is going to raise some eyebrows for sure.” Provagna emphasized that the lyrics are largely motivated by the different circumstances in which each band member was raised and how each of their stories continues to impact them now. ​ “A lot of things in life have to be reexamined in order to find purpose in them,” Provagna said. “You might not be able to see your way out of what you’re dealing with until later, and it’s the same thing with our lyrics — you look deeper until you get something out of them.” The goal in all of this is to “give people something that they can empathize with,” Edwards said. “Then as they listen to it more and more, there’s lots and lots of hope loaded into these lyrics that they will slowly but surely get more and more out of.”Edwards noted that because it appeals to a crowd consisting mostly of people who tend to avoid mainstream Christian music at all costs, Waterhouse is by no means a worship band at the surface level. However, it ultimately aims to share the love of Christ with every listener it encounters.