ANXIOUS are back with another instantly lovable new single, “Where You Been.” Out today via Run For Cover Records, the track follows last month’s “Sunsign” as well as their debut full-length, Little Green House, which came out in January.
Little Green House drew praise from fans and critics alike (including Pitchfork, Stereogum, The FADER, Paste Magazine, BrooklynVegan, and many more) for its seamless combination of hardcore grit, classic emo dynamism, and ’90s alternative hooks, and now with “Where You Been” and “Sunsign” Anxious have taken yet another leap forward. Recorded/produced by Mike Sapone (Taking Back Sunday, The Front Bottoms, Oso Oso), the new songs are two of the catchiest that the band have ever written. “Where You Been” highlights the band’s untouchable knack for melody, with a chorus that’s sure to be stuck in your head after one listen.
Vocalist Grady Allen discussed the new song saying: “‘Where You Been’ focuses on my anxiety around not seeing my family enough due to the fact that I’m gone so often touring. I have this sinking feeling that I should be trying to do more when I’m home to make everyone feel appreciated–but it’s often easier said than done. I think ultimately my family is very understanding. The chorus is supposed to be the voice of my dad saying “don’t worry it’s fine”–so a lot of the song focuses more on MY perception that I’m not doing enough.”
With Sapone’s production, Anxious are given a layered warmth that suits the band’s growing interests, at times sounding like if The Get Up Kids and Modern Baseball both had studied the Revelation Records catalog. “I don’t think Anxious is trying to constrict itself to any binary and is, instead, trying to lead with what feels organic and what we want to create rather than trying to chase something,” says Allen. “Where You Been” and “Sunsign” feel like a marked evolution in Anxious’ sound while retaining all the earnest emotion that fans have come to love. “We’ve gotten a lot of questions around Little Green House if there were conscious efforts to do certain things, and the answer is no, there was no conscious effort ever to create a sound, replicate a sound, any of that,” explains Allen, “It was just us trying to create something that we felt was wholeheartedly something we wanted to do. And I think that energy was consistent with us putting these songs together.”
Since the release of Little Green House Anxious have been on the road non-stop, completing five full U.S. tours in eight months. The band are showing no signs of slowing down and are currently on tour with Oso Oso. See full itinerary below.
“Where You Been” and “Sunsign” are out now via Run For Cover Records.
Oct. 25, 2022 Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club *
Oct. 26, 2022 Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Highland Park *
Oct. 27, 2022 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Oct. 28, 2022 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge *
Oct. 30, 2022 Austin, TX @ The Far Out Lounge & Stage *
Oct. 31, 2022 Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips FTW *
Nov. 2, 2022 Orlando, FL @ The Abbey *
Nov. 3, 2022 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum *
Nov. 4, 2022 Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 *
Nov. 5, 2022 West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern *
Nov. 6, 2022 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
Nov. 8, 2022 Richmond, VA @ Capital Ale House Downtown *
Nov. 9, 2022 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia *
Nov. 10, 2022 Washington, DC @ Union Stage *
Nov. 11, 2022 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw *
Nov. 12, 2022 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
Nov. 25, 2022 New Haven, CT @ State House ^
* w/ Oso Oso, M.A.G.S.
^ w/ Arm’s Length, Restraining Order, Wreckage
Since the release of Anxious’ debut album Little Green House earlier this year, the band hasn’t spent much time at home.
In support of the record, Anxious has toured relentlessly, playing five consecutive U.S. tours in the eight months since the album came out. That busy schedule has meant Anxious has barely had a moment to stop and catch their collective breath, but that frantic pace also inspired them to keep on pushing forward. The result is two new songs, “Sunsign” and “Where You Been,” a pair of standalone singles that build on Anxious’ sonic signature and expand the band’s sound simultaneously.
On these two songs, Anxious–made up of vocalist Grady Allen, guitarist/vocalist Dante Melucci, bassist Sam Allen, and drummer Jonny Camner–takes yet another step forward. The urgency that carried Little Green House is still there, but it’s presented in new, engaging ways. The songs have a sprawl to them that feels like a marked evolution of the band’s sound while retaining all the earnest emotion that fans have come to love. “We’ve gotten a lot of questions around Little Green House if there were conscious efforts to do certain things, and the answer is no, there was no conscious effort ever to create a sound, replicate a sound, any of that,” says Allen, “It was just us trying to create something that we felt was wholeheartedly something we wanted to do. And I think that energy was consistent with us putting these songs together.”
With Mike Sapone (Taking Back Sunday, The Front Bottoms, Oso Oso) producing and engineering, Anxious’ songs are given a layered warmth that suits the band’s growing interests. “[Sapone] had a very earnest excitement for putting the songs together that I feel like I only get from us,” says Melucci. “If I didn’t know who I was talking to, I would have thought it was just another member of Anxious who was excited to get the songs recorded and put out.”
At times sounding like if The Get Up Kids and Modern Baseball both had studied the Revelation Records catalog, “Sunsign” and “Where You Been” a fresh take on the band’s signature sound. “These songs have the same energy, they have the same feeling, because it’s still us writing the songs,” says Melucci. While these tracks could be seen as a pivot, in practice, they are just Anxious showing another side of themselves. “I don’t think Anxious is trying to constrict itself to any binary and is, instead, trying to lead with what feels organic and what we want to create rather than trying to chase something,” says Allen.
Lyrically, the songs tap deeper into the transparently reflective nature that Anxious has always put on display. “Sunsign” grapples with feeling inadequate next to your romantic partner and wishing to be more than you are, all while still remaining true to yourself. Similarly, “Where You Been” explores the difficult balance of making time for your friends and family while trying to grasp every opportunity presented to you in life. They are songs about the wish to close the gap between distances both real and metaphorical, the perfect emotions for Anxious to explore.
“I’m very curious to see how people respond to it,” says Allen. “I hope people resonate with the energy. The songs definitely back off on the abrasion that’s more prevalent on Little Green House, but I think the bones of them being fun, poppy songs is still in the DNA of that record and it’s just as prevalent here, and I hope people can hear that.”
