Review Summary: Anxious deliver on every promise set by their debut with a powerful anthem of pop-punk, emo, and stargazing alt-rock.
“Bambi” sounds almost like a self-deprecating title for Anxious’ sophomore album. The band’s debut already more than solidified the group as a promising act to watch rising out of the Connecticut hardcore/pop-punk scene, and while
Little Green House was perhaps only a little green in terms of consistency—an issue nearly non-existent here—the band’s energetic blend of stage-dive riffs and emotional tenderness gave birth to some seriously cathartic highs that have been permanently etched into my temporal lobe
(“I swear I’ll make the next train, I’ll never be late again!!!”). Cutting straight to the heart,
Bambi is a step up from its predecessor in nearly every way imaginable, so it should surely be perceived as a sign of maturity and fortitude from the group, no?
Well, this is art, so we’re making a point here: the performance of self versus the orphaned fawn in our shadow that, for many of us, only becomes more stark with age and experience—it’s called imposter syndrome, bozo. Look it up. Perhaps it’s this acknowledgment of vulnerability that gives
Bambi such tenacity and conviction in itself. Either way, the gloves are off here, and it only takes one swing for Anxious to deliver on every promise made by their debut. With a seesaw of gentle expressions and heavy, alt-gazing pop punk riffs centered around a subtle climax, “Never Said” quickly proves the band has only strengthened their knack for clever hooks while keeping their core as billowy soft as ever. The whole opening run is just one knockout after another, with “Bambi’s Theme” exuding a pent-up explosiveness, the lyrics
“Do you feel like you’re okay?” floating through the chorus of “Some Girls” like a sympathetic hug, and the stringent guitars and dance punk rhythms that pull the band into some fresh tonal territory during the verses of “Counting Sheep”.
The production has definitely been beefed up here as well, and it does the band wonders. Whereas the mix on
Little Green House had a bit of a serrated edge to it,
Bambi is coated in a soft yellow vignette, yet the snappy kick and snare of the drums give shape to the round warmth of the bass, accentuating the punchiness of Anxious’ songwriting while providing the perfect structural beam for the guitars to balance with equal measures of crunch and haze. Grady Allen’s voice also sounds more resolute and dynamic in its presence, especially during the gorgeous ballad of “Audrey Go Again”, where Allen employs a breathy upper register to swoon over acoustic guitars, piano, and drums, all bathed in a dreamy wash of analog synth.
The back half of the record sees the band really leaning into their big-jean alt-rock side, and while it doesn’t stray too far from the soft-heavy formula established by the first, Anxious always succeeds in crafting heartfelt earworms within the framework they have set for themselves. “Tell Me Why” comes through with another catchy lovesick chorus and a huge fuzzed-out solo, “Jacy” is just a total shades-up, roof-down highway cruiser, and “I’ll Be Around” caps off the record like a sad, confusing breakup—the kind with a slow disentanglement that leaves bits of your hearts on each other’s sleeves. The song fades out with dreamy feedback and shows for the eleventh damn time how
pulling back on energy is the secret ingredient to Anxious’ approach that makes their songwriting so effective.
Bambi is a proper sophomore glow-up in every sense of the word, and while Anxious might still be a band in their foot-finding infancy—my God—by no means are their legs shaky here. Kill the imposter in your head.
