Connecticut punk upstarts and Run For Cover Records-signed emo rockers, Anxious recently released their sophomore album 'Bambi'.
The five piece released a few singles in the lead-up: 'Counting Sheep', 'Head & Spine' and 'Some Girls', drawing from a broad palette of influences from the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind, and Smashing Pumpkins, even at times The Beach Boys.Each release received welcomed praise from across the globe and finds the band fully embracing the widescreen alternative rock songwriting they've always hinted at.
It's a record of growth and depth that's sonically ambitious while further amplifying the seamless combination of hardcore grit and classic emo dynamism that's made them such a beloved young band.
The band's debut album 'Little Green House' received love from fans and critics alike, and they followed it up with three fantastic singles 'Where You Been', 'Sunsign', and 'Down, Down', which pushed their sound forward. 'Bambi' picks up where those songs left off and skyrockets Anxious' songwriting to even greater heights.
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Brett Romnes (The Movielife, Front Bottoms, Oso Oso) at The Barber Shop Studios, it's a record of meticulously arranged, ultra-dynamic music that's perfectly tailored to pack a huge musical and emotional punch. 'Bambi' takes big swings, and song after song, it connects.
We chatted with vocalist Grady and guitarist Dante to chat about their Top 5 album influences for 'Bambi'.
Death Cab For Cutie - 'Plans'
Grady: This record was probably my greatest influence when it came to the making of 'Bambi'. I was listening to it nearly everyday on the tour before we started recording as well as everyday while we were recording.The lyrics are probably my favourite part. I love Ben Gibbard's ability to take sort of small and transitory moments and turn them into these substantive lyrics that feel so evocative. The Teenage Fanclub cover at the end of the deluxe version of the record was also the direct inspiration for 'I'll Be Around'.
Jimmy Eat World - 'Clarity' & 'Bleed American'
Grady: Dante and I spent a lot of time devouring Jimmy Eat World over the course of writing 'Bambi', 'Bleed American' especially. I think some of the more structurally, free-floating songs on 'Bambi' pull a lot from Jimmy Eat World. Songs like 'Counting Sheep' or 'Next Big Star' feel like they're pulling a lot from that band.In hindsight, some of my darker lyrics on 'Bambi' are definitely trying to pull from things I was hearing in 'Clarity'. A song like 'Jacy' feels very close to 'Clarity' or 'A Sunday', at least to me.
Youth Of Today - 'We're Not In This Alone'
Grady: The influence of this record is a lot more subtle than probably all of the other records on this list. Obviously Anxious does not sound like Youth Of Today, but I was listening to this record a lot while writing and recording 'Bambi'.I think probably what I enjoy most about this record is the way you can see that Ray Cappo's world is slowly starting to split in two. Songs like 'Slow Down' hint at burnout and disillusionment within music. However, 'A Time We'll Remember' offers a far more celebratory perspective.
I feel like I tried to emulate a certain amount of that dynamic in the lyrics I wrote for 'Bambi'. Songs like 'Never Said' or 'Head & Spine' are about feeling frustrated about the superficial and cruel social aspects of our music subculture, but 'Sunder' or 'I'll Be Around' are more triumphant sort of songs.
Animal Collective - 'Merriweather Post Pavilion'
Dante: I was really amazed with The Beach Boys for a long time, mainly 'Pet Sounds' and 'Smile', but eventually I exhausted those records and needed something new, hopefully that scratched the same itch.Someone pointed me toward Animal Collective; I listened to 'My Girls' once and didn't really understand it. After a couple more tries, out of desperation, I sunk into their whole discography. I think I saw a lot of myself in Panda Bear's songs, especially on 'Merriweather'.
That record probably gave me more to reference when thinking about making a wall-of-sound kind of recording; Brian Wilson and Phil Spector did it with an orchestra, Animal Collective did it with synths and SP-404s.
Panic! At The Disco - 'A Fever You Can't Sweat Out'
Dante: I had a couple girlfriends try and get me into this album and was always mortified by it; Brendon Urie's voice was bizarre to me, and the emo-electronic-baroque fusion I found totally sacrilegious.My ex kept pushing it, but when she showed me their 'Live In Denver' performance, something clicked. I think the world of the album became pretty intriguing to me. The songs were like these Frankenstein monsters of aesthetics; it was a rock band with a sawtooth bass, drum loops, and reaching even further out there, accordion, tac piano, cello.
I wanted to bring that bold sense of self into 'Bambi'; to not let the world of the music be just binary to where emo/ pop-punk/ alt-rock's been for the last 20 years. I guess I really appreciated they didn't play it safe.
