During the 11 month interval, the band released the promotional Soon EP in October 1997, which contained two songs from the upcoming album, as well as a cover of the Jawbox song "Savory", and an acoustic version of the 1996 track "Sorrow's End".

That year, the band also released a 7" vinyl split with Immortal Records label mates Incubus, and performed several songs from the still unreleased Water & Solutions on tour.

[7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave Water & Solutions a positive four star review, stating it "finds the Sacramento-based alternative metal band coming into their own, creating a distinctive fusion of the sober, grinding guitars of Helmet and Tool"[4] and that "the best moments of Water & Solutions show that Far have carved out their own alterna-metal niche.

"[4] French publication Rocksound claimed in 1998 that the album's sound was "made up of the best elements of Deftones and Radiohead."

"[8] More contemporary reviews have cited Water & Solutions as a progenitor to the 2000s emo rock movement, with PopMatters remarking in 2004 the record was "a few minutes before everything emo blew the hell up; the album and the band that made it disintegrated quickly after its release.