Little Green House - Anxious: Review
Anxious
is a Connecticut emo band who have been turning heads in the underground for a year or two and signed to Run For Cover records last year. They've released four singles in the past year leading up to this, their debut album.
Review by Lav:
Last year I was turned on to the music of Anxious by a Brooklyn Vegan article and I've been following them ever since. When they signed to Run For Cover records and started releasing singles for the lead up to their debut album I got increasingly excited for what the band was capable of delivering. While the record is definitely a mixed bag as the band looks for their sound, there are plenty of bright spots along the way.
The record gets off to a solid start but generally the first half is quite a bit weaker than the second half. Your One Way Street is the opening track and the band wastes no time getting into the thick of things with this up-tempo two minute pop punky opener. It has a tight groove and a short but memorable hook and even though it doesn't do anything unconventional it does serve as a great introduction to the record. In April comes next and dials the sentimentality up right out of the gate. The song thematically is pretty interesting and seems like it's all about wanting to be more than a friend with someone but also no really in a relationship. It's a unique approach that I enjoy even if I don't think it's delivered with the most compelling refrains.
If there's one thing I'm not crazy about on the record it's the string of songs that follow this introduction. I guess you consider Wayne the exception to the rule but it's really just a short acoustic cut that feels more like an interlude, though I enjoy it while it's on. Growing Up Song might be the most directly pop punk thing on the album with the constant instrumental shifting and the sullen emotional hook. Thematically it's about how much it hurts to tell somebody that you really want them which sounds like computer generated pop punk subject matter. While it doesn't have much of a rebellious snarl it definitely leans into the emotional angst. While it's heavier than you'd expect from this sound there isn't much here that impresses me in terms of actual songwriting or performances. More Than A Letter is probably my least favorite song on the album and one that I find it difficult to recall much about even after hearing it numerous times. The overly sweet hook is okay at first but I get over it really fast and they don't really do anything instrumentally that isn't done much better on other songs.
Like I said earlier the second half is much better but if there's one exception it's Call From You but only because I like it a bit less than when I first heard it last year. This has sort of become the bands defining tune and it's easy to understand why with those ascending guitar lines and that blend of pop punk intensity with emo authenticity that helps set them apart. I think the bridge and back half of the song is still really good but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't excite me the way it did even just a few months ago. Speechless sort of serves as a tone setter for the heavier second half of the record with more screamed vocals although they come paired with some instrumental technicality that was missing on much of the first half. While I'm still not crazy about the refrains, sonically the song packs a huge punch.
Let Me is a song I've been enjoying for a few weeks now. It starts with the vocals which I think are some of the best on the entire album once again leaning in a screamed direction but never losing the raw and beautiful delivery of the lyrics. This is where the dreamy guitar lines in between more explosive passages really add a depth to the track that I appreciate. I know it's cliché to compare things to midwest emo so I'm only gonna do it one. Afternoon really does employ some guitar riffs and tones that remind me a ton of some of the louder bands from that scene. This track buries the lead vocals in the mix more than any other here but I find it really enjoyable as they flutter in the background behind such an enjoyable and punchy instrumental.
The closing track You When You're Gone really grabbed me the first time I heard it and after numerous listens I still think it's the albums crowning achievement. The song deploys a new vocalist and I'll just show my cards right away, she sounds fucking amazing. In both the opening verse and hook which she handles by herself as well as the second where she duets, her soft angelic vocal harmonies fit perfectly into the songs subject matter of tragic admiration. It also works perfectly with a strong instrumental build that makes every passage feel sadder and more impactful than the last. I really can't say enough good things about the track and even though its sound isn't indicative of the entire record if you choose to only listen to one song from the album, make it this one.
Little Green House is a very good start for Anxious that firmly cements them as a band to keep your eyes on going forward if you like emo or pop punk. While there are plenty of moments where the songwriting or conceptualizing of tracks doesn't quite land that is almost to be expected with a groups first record. What they manage to do write is much more obvious from the soaring vocal performances to the intimate subject matter. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Anxious build on this momentum and make something incredibly good some time in the future. 7/10
Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:
This cover has a lot of content packed into it. There's so much detail in the surrounding areas but it seems so weird that the roof right in the center has absolutely no details at all and is just a black void. With it being right in the center it makes you look straight at it and while I love the cut out quality of the piece and the colors and variations of green, it could be fine tuned a lot to give it a better shot at standing out. 6/10
For more emo influenced much check out my review of Aeon Station's Observatory here
