Nell Smith
made quite an impression with
Where the Viaduct Looms
, a collection of
Nick Cave
covers recorded with
the Flaming Lips
that showed she had enough presence at age 14 to not be overshadowed by the talent that helped her make her debut album. When she died in a car crash in 2024, she was just 17 and putting the finishing touches on her first set of original songs. Though
Viaduct
may have given the impression she was an old soul,
Anxious
reveals she had a lot to say about being young. Her knack for tapping into a song's emotions is even more vivid; the title track, where she dreams of writing songs like
David Byrne
and tells her mom it's not "just a phase," bubbles over with fizzy anticipation. Wisely,
Smith
worked on her second album with the folk band
Shred Kelly
and
Penelope Isles
'
Jack
Lily Wolter
, but her link to the
Lips
continues with
' music box twinkle ("Boy in a Bubble" is a trippy, percolating celebration of the band's frontman
Wayne Coyne
). The hazy electronics and sunny soul leanings of "The Worst Best Drug" are worthy of
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
, and on "Bubba," a tribute to a departed friend and mentor,
's blend of whimsy and empathy makes it easy to hear why she had a connection with
Coyne
and the rest of the band.
' second half is especially strong, with "I Know Nothing"'s psychedelic introspection and the buoyant searching of "Billions of People" offering tantalizing -- and heartbreaking -- glimpses into her music's growth.
was only getting started on
, and its poignant, eloquent peek into teenage girlhood is something to be cherished. ~ Heather Phares