Taken from Spotify
Jonah Watson | March 5th 2025
Connecticut emo melodic hardcore—have you ever heard that phrase before? Yeah, I didn’t think so. That’s how I would describe Anxious, a band that came to my attention in the spring of 2023 and has remained a favorite of mine ever since. Their fun and energetic blend of pop-punk, hardcore, and emo makes them a standout in the scene. The band has been gaining noticeable traction over the last several years, particularly since their first full-length studio album, Little Green House—a modern-day masterpiece, if you ask me.
Between the January 2022 release of Little Green House and the sophomore follow-up Bambi, recently released in February 2025, Anxious has been working on expanding its global reach and redefining its sound as a band. Sunsign, Where You Been, and Down, Down were released between album cycles and effectively act as a bridge, connecting Little Green House and Bambi. These singles thin out some of the hardcore influences present in Little Green House to make room for a little bit of extra pop-punk and emo flair that is delivered on Bambi.
Bambi opens with Never Said, a track that feels quintessentially Anxious in the best way possible and fits great as the album opener. It’s energetic and full of melodic layering, with raw yet natural-sounding vocals and guitars. The memorable lead guitar motif pairs beautifully with a chorus where vocalist Grady Allen and background vocalist/guitarist Dante Melucci trade off seamlessly, matching the instrumental’s energy.
As the guitar feedback sings at the end of Never Said, the album turns the page to chapter two; Bambi’s Theme. The acoustic layering throughout this song, and in many other spots on the album, is a very nice touch. It adds a warm quality to the melodies as well as some bright sheen on top of the guitars, like thin rays of warm sunshine. Bambi’s Theme feels nostalgic to me. Between the soft background vocals and the melancholic chord progression that supports a good amount of the song, this is a great example of Anxious doing what they do so well—creating a beautiful bittersweet feeling that leans a little more sweet than bitter.
Track three, Some Girls, initially struck me as an odd choice for a single. However, after several listens and putting it in the context of the album, I’ve really come to appreciate its place. It’s one of the softer Anxious songs, but its energy is spread out tactfully. The moody chord progression, intricate guitar motif, soft background harmonies, and heartfelt lines (“Do you feel like you’re okay? / I’ve been sealed, so I’m sorry.”) make this track a standout. The chorus carries its energy perfectly into the bridge, which features some of the best riffs on the album.
The lead single Counting Sheep is track four, a song that I would already say has become a fan favorite and probably will be sticking around on the setlist for a hot minute. As the chorus offers one of the best sing-along moments Anxious has ever crafted: “Are you sleeping off all the things that I said? Counting sheep in sour/sweet indifference.” The song plays off its energy that subtly waxes and wanes, building to a climax of a pitch-whammy guitar riff and a massive final chorus, complete with the subtle vocal embellishments from the verses finding their way into the background, rounding the song out perfectly.
One of my favorite moments on the album is the transition from Counting Sheep to Audrey Go Again. The guitar feedback screams and shrieks until its last breath, where the harsh noise is replaced with a subtle pad and melancholy acoustic riff, which Allen sings softly over. Audrey Go Again is a tearjerker of a song. The atmosphere is so delicate and beautiful throughout, with the piano joining the warm acoustic and hazy pad. The chorus is sung beautifully by Allen, him singing in a higher register but with a softer tone. His delivery of the main lyric here, “When you left me, I was overwhelmed,” kicked me in the heart and continues to do so on subsequent listens. The song closes with a simple yet emotionally effective chord progression that lingers heavily for me—an absolute highlight.
Another favorite of mine, Head & Spine, follows, contrasting Audrey Go Again with high energy from the get-go. This song felt the most “hardcore” to me on the album, as much of the song follows a textbook-perfect two-step rhythm and has one of Allen’s more energetic vocal performances. Jonny Camner’s drumming here is fun and flowy, matching the energy one-to-one. I have already shared a few of my favorite choruses on the album, but Head & Spine takes the cake for me. Both times it plays, it feels massive—groovy, catchy, and undeniably powerful. This song will inevitably be in the live set for a while, I’m sure.
Tell Me Why follows Head & Spine and immediately nods to 00s post-hardcore, with the tight palm-muted guitar chugs and vocal style. The song I thought of when I heard the intro for the first time was A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White by Underoath, and I’m sure that will make any 00s core kid or elder emo that may read this excited to listen. Tell Me Why’s chorus is simple yet effective “Tell me why would I fall for you in spite of everything you do?” and the song continues in its early 00s rock vein until the bridge that features a noisy, fuzzy guitar solo on top of a driving chord progression, made complete with the acoustic layering and background vocal embellishments.
Sunder continues in the 00s rock feel, but less on the emo side. The song’s lyrics revolve around feelings of guilt and regret for being absent from those you love. Sunder isn’t quite as memorable as the majority of the other tracks here, but it still fits snugly within the album’s flow.
Next Big Star leans into a 90s rock influence, ebbing and flowing dynamically. The song ends with a web of beautifully intertwined guitar and soft vocals before an odd piano pitch effect ends the track. Like Sunder, it’s a solid song but gets a bit overshadowed by the album’s standout moments and standout tracks like Audrey Go Again, Head & Spine, and Ja- oh wait, I haven’t talked about that song yet.
And now—Jacy. Absolutely one of my favorites on the album. Great energy. Great vibe. This song makes me happy. I also want to point out how much I love the bass in this song, especially in the intro, and just how talented Sam Allen is on the bass in general. Seeing Anxious live last year on the floor of a screen-printing warehouse was one of my favorite moments in recent memory, and getting to hear him rip some bass runs that aren’t even on record was awesome. The pop-punk energy in this song is contagious, and honestly, I’m surprised I like the “do-do-do-do” vocal motif as much as I do here.
Finally, I’ll Be Around, which carries Jacy’s energy beautifully and opens with possibly my favorite riff on the album, where Melucci and Tommy Harte’s playing intertwines perfectly. I believe I read somewhere a week or so ago that vocalist Allen wrote this song about his friendship with Melucci, and it is executed perfectly—one of those songs that will give you goosebumps but also feels like a warm hug. I’ll Be Around ends the album in good spirits and bookends the excellent body of work that is Bambi.
Bambi is a very strong next step for the band, and I believe it was the right step, as Anxious seemed more comfortable experimenting with their influences on this album. It’s like a new layer of polish has been applied, but the core remains just as raw. This really is Anxious at their best, pulling from their influences wisely and playing to their strengths, charting their own course between emo, rock, and hardcore territory.
Anxious is preparing for a U.S. tour in March and April, followed by a European tour in June. You can find merch and tour tickets on their website: https://www.anxiousband.com/
