Anxious Return with New Album and Single

Connecticut-based emo/punk band Anxious are back with a new album and single. Signed to Run For Cover Records, the quintet will release their sophomore album, ‘Bambi’, on February 21st. The announcement of the album is joined by the release of its first single – ‘Counting Sheep’.

With its earworm harmonies, domineering drum work, luscious melodies, and driving guitars, ‘Counting Sheep’ sees Anxious return with an abundance of energy.

“This one is totally insane… I had the idea that I could turn the vibe of the Gorillaz self-titled record into a cool Anxious track, and once I had the verse melody and the quick 16th rhythm pacing I knew it was gonna be the best song,” states Anxius guitarist and co-vocalist Dante Melucci. “It’s about being lethargic and wasting your time and hiding, all because you’re too afraid to confront just about everything.”

Stylistically, the track hints at the huge musical and emotional punch ‘Bambi’ promises to be. The record is described as “a warts-and-all portrait of leaving your adolescence behind; the breakups, the burnouts, the inevitable challenges of ending adulthood”.

‘Bambi’ follows 2022’s impressive ‘Little Green House’. Anxious‘ debut proved to be a punchy blend of emo and pop-punk, winning over plenty of critics and fans. In the time since, they released a trio of singles; ‘Where You Been’ and ‘Sunsign’ and ‘Down, Down’. The latter leaned into the band’s 90’s alt-rock tendencies with hardcore grit. However, the praise and the rigorous touring that followed ‘Little Green House’ put a strain on the relationship between vocalist Grady Allen and Melucci, drummer Jonny Camner, bassist Sam Allen, and guitarist Tommy Harte. Nonetheless, a tour of Asia and the United States reinvigorated the band. While a rare four-month break allowed Allen and Melucci to begin piecing together ‘Bambi’. Assisted by producer/engineer Brett Romnes (Oso Oso, The Movielife, Front Bottoms) at Barber Shop Studios, Anxious came together to redefine their sound yet never lose sight of who they were in the first place.

As for its title, Allen explains “We should have named the band Bambi. The idea that Bambi should have been the band name sort of turned into this sentiment that got carried onto the LP. ‘Bambi’ is the band we could have been, that I want us to be–and I think the record is that.”