Bambi

Raised on a variety of melodic and mainstream emo and punk groups, Anxious aims to take their place in the pantheon of a genre that counts Jimmy Eat World, Modern Baseball, and Title Fight among its most sacred practitioners. Their breakthrough debut, Little Green House (2022), helped the band reach this goal after a fistful of hardcore-inspired EPs.

Anxious first formed in 2016 in Fairfield, Connecticut, spearheaded by singer/guitarist Grady Allen, who was in search of an outlet to make high school feel more tolerable. Together with bassist Sam Walter and drummer Michelle Siegel -- who quickly left and was replaced by another friend, Dante Melucci, the following year -- Anxious found inspiration in the rich lineage of straight-edge hardcore groups, self-releasing their debut EP Carved in 2017.

After creating a buzz in the Northeastern hardcore scene, Anxious made some of their biggest moves in 2019. First, the band roles and personnel shifted and expanded significantly: Grady opted to sing exclusively, ceding guitar duties to new member Ryan Savitsky and longtime right hand Melucci, with Jonny Camner on drums. Now a quintet, the group signed to Boston hardcore label Triple B Records and quickly released the EPs Promo 2019 and Never Better.

By the time Anxious re-emerged after the COVID-19 lockdowns with the two-track New Shapes and the non-album cut “The Long Spring” in 2021, they had a new bassist, Sam Allen, in their lineup. They’d soon sign to alternative label Run for Cover Records and begin work on their first full-length, consciously choosing to augment their angsty sound with undeniable rock melodies and bright production that harkened back to the emo/indie explosion of the early 2000s. Little Green House -- featuring soaring anthems like “In April” and “Growing Up Song” and even the dream pop-inspired closer “You When You’re Gone” -- was rapturously received for its mix of styles when it was released in 2022. After one more personnel change, swapping guitarist Savitsky with Tommy Harte, the band toured in support of the album, earning high praise for their energetic shows and addictive songs. A second full-length, Bambi, was released in 2025. ~ Mike Duquette