Deep Summer Talks! WCL Interviews Chris Conde

The past year has been a whirlwind for Austin hip hop artist, Chris Conde (they/them/their). The self described “thicc, queer, Mexican” signed to Fake Four Inc. (Open Mike Eagle, Sadistik, Ceschi Ramos) and saw their career take off with plenty of glowing press, shout outs and killer live shows. While riding this wave of success the pandemic hit but that did now slow them down. Engulfed In The Marvelous Decay (April, 2021) arrived to rave reviews, a declaration of top album of the year (Ghettoblaster) and debuted at #12 on Bandcamp. The album is a self-reflective, diverse and charismatic commentary on the bigotry of the Trump administration that pulls not just from rap, but also indie rock, electronic music, glitch, metal and punk. While Conde already stands out from the pack due to their unique and commanding presence, the talent is clearly there to complete the package. 

Engulfed In The Marvelous Decay boldly displays a broad spectrum of moods and sounds from the soaring and redemptive “Mariposa” (see the video here) to the blistering nu-metal of “American Faggot” and “Cancel Culture Blues”, the pure radiant chill hop joy of “Okinawa” and the hypnotic, banjo-tinged atmospheric soulful experimentalism of “Leaves''. The production team includes KDEATH of Moodie Black, Whatever Cecil and Lazerbeak (Lizzo, Doomtree), the latter of which helped to birth the undeniable hit that is “Mariposa''. It’s all rounded out with cameos by Ceschi Ramos, Rodleen Getsic (best known for her vocals on “Knife Prty'' by Deftones), Sammus and others. The ambitious Engulfed is a fiercely honest story of the challenges of navigating an often unjust world while battling addiction and the triumph of the feeling that comes from graduating to a place of self-acceptance and pride. 

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