Conditions

Conditions are a band that have been enjoying worldwide recognition on the back of their 2010 debut album, 'Fluorescent Youth'. Their widespread acclaim has been met with a relentless touring schedule that will see them travelling to Australia for the first time as part of Soundwave 2012. Kill Your Stereo spoke with guitarist Alex Howard about their music, their upcoming appearance at Soundwave Festival and their rising status in the music industry.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the band?

My name is Alex Howard and I play guitar and sing in Conditions.

There seems to be a diverse range of styles in your music. How would you describe the band’s sound?

Rock. I’m kind of over all of these bands being like “Yeah, we’re like screamo/emo/dubstep/metal/rock/punk…” I think that’s lame. We’re a rock band.

What are the main influences behind your music?

I think we definitely have a wide range among the 5 of us, but I think some key ones are Thrice, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Radiohead, Blink 182, Finch, and and Brand New just to name a few.

Your 2010 debut album ‘Fluorescent Youth’ received extremely positive reviews. How did the band react to this sudden rush of praise?

We are extremely thankful to have such a positive response. We put a lot of hard work into that record, and it was a long time coming be our first full-length, so to get that encouragement has been awesome.

Is there a new Conditions release on the cards any time soon?

Definitely. We plan on recording a new full-length around April of 2012 and releasing it sometime in the late summer/early fall.

The band recently undertook an extensive US tour with Anarbor and Valencia. What was that like?

It was great! We love Anarbor and Valencia like brothers, so it was a great group of people to spend the summer with. Some of those drives in the west were pretty brutal, but the comic relief we get with those guys and the massive amounts of alcohol consumed made everything better.

Has there been a particular place you’ve enjoyed travelling to most with the band?

There are definitely certain cities that we look forward to playing in front of friends or family. Other than that, we’re just extremely grateful to have people singing along with us anywhere we go.

What are you most looking forward to about touring Australia as part of Soundwave 2012?

We are all just absolutely stoked to be a part of such a great tour with amazing bands. We honestly don’t even know what to expect down there, so just playing in a totally new country will be an experience in itself.

What is the craziest thing the band has ever done?

This list could go on forever, because being in a band with these fine gentlemen is a new experience every day. One fun memory is having Brandon fall over, kick a monitor into a girl in the front row of the crowd, crashing down into Ryan, all in the first song of our set, forcing us to start over.

What does the future hold for Conditions beyond the new year?

Soundwave! After that, we immediately hit the road for a full US tour with Sleeping With Sirens, followed by recording a new album, some summer touring, and then releasing the album. 2012 will be busy for sure.

Thanks a lot for your time. Are there any comments you’d like to finish on?

Thank you so much for the interview, and a big thanks to Soundwave and the people in Australia that are bringing us down!