Interview: Conditions

Early in 2010, things were all a bit up in the air for Conditions. Without a bassist, without a label and working restaurant jobs just to keep the dream alive, nobody knew what the future held. Ten months on, they are now fresh off the back of releasing their debut full-length 'Fluorescent Youth' and are about to embark on a US tour with VersaEmerge, Anarbor and The Dangerous Summer.

Guitarist Alex Howard spoke to ATP about the new album, signing for Good Fight Records, the forthcoming US tour and more.

Alter The Press: You've been busy boys since the last time we spoke, how is everything going?
Conditions: Busy is good! We are beyond excited to have just released out debut full length, and we are pumped to hit the road soon.

ATP: Your debut full length 'Fluorescent Youth' has just been released through Good Fight Music. How do you feel the reception has been thus far?
Conditions: I can't believe how positive it's been. It's a record that we are all very proud of, but unless I'm looking in the wrong places I literally have not seen much negative feedback. We are very grateful to have the response we've had thus far, and hope that continues to reach more and more people in such a way.

ATP: Did you achieve everything you wanted to with the record?
Conditions: I think so. Of course hindsight is always 20/20 and there's always going to be things you might do differently, but a record is capturing a moment in time. I think "Fluorescent Youth" is a perfect display of where we were during the recording process and also as an introduction to our band. We are all very happy with the result.

ATP: How was working with Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, Circa Survive) again on the new record?
Conditions: It was great. We have literally recorded every release with Paul, so it only made sense to do our first proper full length with him as well. If anyone knows Conditions it's Paul Leavitt, so it was easy for us to bring our ideas to him and for him to either approve or be the first to shut it down. He knows our style and was able to make us expand and try some different things along the way.

ATP: Give us an idea of the process of writing the new record. Did you approach things differently to your previous material?
Conditions: Not really, we were just much more prepared this time around. Our song writing process typically begins with Jason coming up with either a riff or a shell of a song, which we then in turn has out as a unit in practice. Once we're happy with the music, I'll record a demo of it to give to Brandon to write vocals to. Most of the time that works great for us.

ATP: Back in January you said that you were "trying to find the right home for your music". Do you feel you've found that in signing to Good Fight Records?
Conditions: Absolutely. We had spoken to a few different labels that we were very intrigued by, but the people at Good Fight just felt like family. We want to surround ourselves with people who genuinely care about us and we found that with Good Fight. We couldn't be happier right now.

ATP: You recently announced a tour with VersaEmerge, Anarbor and The Dangerous Summer that starts in October, you must be itching to get out and play the new material?
Conditions: Definitely! We can't wait to get on the road and play the songs that people have been talking about recently. It's going to bring a whole new excitement for us to get out there and do something totally fresh with all this new material.

ATP: Bassist Corey Thomas completed your line-up earlier in the year, replacing now full-time Paramore guitar tech Riley Emminger. Do you feel the band is now settled and ready to push on for the remainder of 2010 and beyond?
Conditions: Yes we think so. Riley has been and will always be our best friend but his life took him in a different direction from Conditions. He continues to be very supportive of us and we couldn't be more grateful to have such an amazing friend. Corey has done a fantastic job filling the bass player role, and we've definitely made him work for it! Corey has been with us now for nearly a year which is the longest tenure of any Conditions bass player, so he wins!

ATP: You have been around in one form or another for longer than many may realise, how important is that experience in taking Conditions forward?
Conditions: The experience we've had up to this point is absolutely crucial. We thought we had learned so much from our previous bands before this one, but these last few years have been quite a roller coaster for us. There were plenty of times that we had nearly broken up, or had made terrible decisions, but it's all those learning experiences that have made us who we are today.

ATP: What are the band's plans for the near future?
Conditions: Tour, tour, tour. We are very proud of our record and we want to play those songs for as many people as we can. We will be very busy on the road throughout the rest of the year.

ATP: Where do you guys hope to be this time next year?
Conditions: Hopefully still staying busy on tour and selling copies of this record! We would love to expand our audience as much as we can while continuing to spread this music across the globe.

'Fluorescent Youth' by Conditions is available now on Good Fight Music.

Conditions on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and Purevolume.

Liam McGarry