A diverse local artist is releasing his sophomore LP, THE WORLD IS ALWAYS ENDING SOMETIMES, a genre-exploring project that adds to a body of work that is already hard to identify.
Allen Condes’ sound is, well, indescribable. While the solo artist uses hyperpop vocal techniques and electronic beats in a majority of his musical moments, flashes of rock, indie, funk, R&B, rap and more make it unfair to give Condes a singular-genre label. His debut album, Front, released a year ago, runs the musical gamut, jumping from bit-crushed bops to hype hip hop—but the energy always remains high, and Condes’ autotuned vocals will likely scratch an itch in your brain.
THE WORLD IS ALWAYS ENDING SOMETIMES is slated for release on Dec. 17.
“For this album, I really wanted to push myself and not be restricted by any boundaries,” Condes said during a recent phone interview. “I wanted to push the ideas in the best way, and get the best quality ideas that I could out of each song. I really wanted to focus on B sections and bridges and arrangements, and I wanted to push the musicality more. I’ve been experimenting with more live instrumentation, which I’ve done in the past, but I’ve been incorporating it more into a full body of work, which I’m excited about.”
For the new album, Condes recruited the help of some friends to make his solo music more collaborative. The upcoming group of songs will feature vocal performances from Hayley Haden, Sikey M and Ryan Gundran; bass work from Bernard Clark; trumpets from Clarence McDuffie III; keyboards from Nikhil Suri; drums from Ben Dinero; violin from Luke Norton; and flute from Carmela Harkins.
“I really wanted to incorporate more musicians and make collaboration a big thing, because I know that’s a huge aspect of music, and if I’m the only one bringing in ideas, that can limit the project a bit,” he said. “I just want it to be the best it can possibly be.”
Condes said he’s been working on the album for about a year.
“It’s been a lot of conceptualizing,” he said. “There’s a lot of emotion attached to it as well. It was very cathartic to be making some of these songs. It felt like a release, and by the end of it, it felt very freeing. It’s very freeing to be releasing something like this, and yes, I’m very proud of it.”
In cryptic fashion, Condes took to Instagram to share graphics that read “THE WORLD IS ALWAYS ENDING SOMETIMES.” In doing so, he sought to build hype without actually announcing an album—taking some pressure off of himself in the process.
“I wanted a way to post about stuff that felt authentic to me and also felt like world-building, and that’s what I’m trying to do with the promo,” Condes said. “I wanted to post in a way that didn’t feel like promotion. Posting can be such a big thing when it doesn’t really have to be. Sometimes you build it up so much in your head, and you feel so much pressure to release something, or post this thing or not post at all. It’s something that I’m sure a lot of people have been struggling with.”
THE WORLD IS ALWAYS ENDING SOMETIMES is the first work Condes is releasing since his Halloween song “Fugitive.” The track, which featured Condes on guitar, along with him taking his usual vocal and production duties, mixed spooky trip-hop sounds and experimental synths with a driving, groove-filled beat. “GUST,”the first single from Condes’ new album, was released on Nov. 17. The delightfully funky mix of hip hop and R&B offers a first taste of the album. Condes graces the single’s cover, wearing a hooded costume and sporting glowing yellow eyes, a costume he said will be “the look for this specific album.”
The Palm Springs musician is currently in school at the University of California, San Diego, but he still views the desert as home.
“I originally lived in Florida, and I was born in Florida, and moved here coming into high school,” Condes said. “I’ve had varying experiences, but it still feels like I have a connection to the valley, just because my family and a lot of my friends are there. It’s hard to describe living in college, also because I’m very new to it. I’ve described it as living in a hotel, like a little vacation for a while, and it kind of feels that way. I’m excited to be here, but I also do feel a connection with the valley. It’s my home.”
While Condes isn’t going to school to study music, he said music is where he feels the most passion, and he’s determined to keep perfecting his sonic craft.
“Whenever I go about making music or creating art, it feels very right to me,” he said. “It’s something I can just dive into and enjoy for hours, and you forget the time’s there. It feels like this is where I’m meant to be. I believe that it’ll go somewhere to the point where I can comfortably say that I’m a full-time musician. I feel weird speaking about things in the future, but that’s what I’m feeling about it. This album is another step, and I’m very passionate about this stuff—and I really think that this is what I’m meant to be doing.”
Learn more at www.instagram.com/allencondes.