Anxious – Little Green House | Album Review

There is some beautiful nostalgia when picturing a fresh faced Anxious rehearsing in a high school music room.

It’s a vivid image that brings a pleasant sense of belonging. Picture a group of teenagers steadily honing their sound, and then fast forward six years on – slogging through the mud since 2016, this is a band with DIY as their very essence.

The latest set of newcomers on Run For Cover Records, the Connecticut quintet are counting down the days in the run up to their release. Little Green House holds an important position in the band’s discography, as it takes the stage as the debut full length. This could well be the record that defines a huge portion of the band’s career, a make or break scenario – so it’s a good thing they’ve smashed the ball out the park. 

A rounded ten track playthrough, Little Green House is an amalgamation of tastes, a fusion of sub-genres twisted and packaged into an emotional rollercoaster. Emo & Post-hardcore are the strongest flavours for certain, but theres a whole host of zesty undertones if you scratch beneath the surface. The record’s opener ‘Your One Way Street’ sets the tone early on, where harsh verses are the perfect precursor to an infectious chorus. If Anxious have two things in ample surplus, its addictive guitar hooks and sing along choruses – and both are in high demand for an entire 32 minutes. Tracks three and four, ‘In April’ & ‘Growing Up Song’ have a transportive effect even without the enthralling accompanying visuals. The autumnal color palette in both pieces of film are perfectly matched to the tracks ambience, and a welcome familiarity seeps in from all sides. When taking in the sonics in ‘Growing Up Song’ it’s important that drummer Johnny Camner gets a direct mention – whilst not necessarily front and center in the mix, the tight rhythm throughout underpins the fabric of the entire track. 

Lyricists Grady Allen (vocals) & Dante Melluci (guitar) use Little Green House much like a diary, detailing emotional adventures as they venture tentatively into adulthood. The years leading up to the album’s recording process have allowed the band time to search deep for some heavy self perspective. The record documents some truly intimate moments, talks of realizing you may have a separate path from your loved ones and coming to terms with your own personal growth. 

‘Speechless’ brings the band’s heavier side to centre stage, & the most recent single in the release cycle ‘Let Me’ incorporates a brilliant fusion of the dirty vocals in an ideal match with the cleans. Melodic highs are among Anxious’s many selling points, and ‘You When You’re Gone’ closes the album in stellar fashion. The ambient intro permits time to take stock of the 9 tracks before, digest and resign yourself to the record’s impending closure. A guitar line oozing with indie-pop acts as a bed for a brilliant vocal performance throughout, and concluding the way it begins seems the perfect way to bring a complete body of work full circle.

It’s been truly refreshing to stumble across a project with such a promising future guaranteed. Little Green House will leave some hefty shoes to fill for it’s follow up, but Anxious and the team at Run For Cover will have it all in hand.