Two decades ago, the thought of a hardcore band – even one as melodic and emo-driven as
Anxious – making a sophomore album like ‘
Bambi’ would be tantamount to shooting Bambi’s mum. Fortunately, times have changed, meaning accusations of “going soft” or, even worse “selling out” no longer seem pertinent. Instead, we have a band flexing their creative muscle in brilliant and unexpected ways.
Of course, the Connecticut crew are starting from a high base. 2022’s ‘
Little Green House’ was a superb breakout, melding punk, melodic hardcore, and 90s-inspired emo to great aplomb. But here, the reference points are dizzying and dazzling, with Anxious touching on everything from classic alt-rock, indie, power-pop and beyond while leaving the more abrasive elements of their debut in the distant past.
Smartly, Anxious kick things off with a forceful one-two; opener ‘
Never Said’ is probably the most intense number on the record, while pop-punk blast ‘
Bambi’s Theme’ serves as the most accessible inroad. So far, so ‘Little Green House’, then – but these cuts are merely just inviting you to make yourself comfortable for what follows.
The creeping indie/emo-pop influence flashes through ‘
Some Girls’ but positively blooms in ‘
Counting Sheep’, mixing the choppiness of ‘Bleed American’ era Jimmy Eat World with the playful, hard-edged pop of latter Nai Harvest. Both are uniformly outstanding and build on the blueprint established with ‘Little Green House’s ‘
More than a Letter’. It’s a similar story on ‘
Tell Me Why’ and ‘
Jacy’.
