Anxious

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 songs emotions is even more vivid; the title track, where she dreams of writing songs like David Byrne and tells her mom its 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 and Lily Wolter, but her link to the Lips continues with Anxious music box twinkle ("Boy in a Bubble" is a trippy, percolating celebration of the bands 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, Smiths blend of whimsy and empathy makes it easy to hear why she had a connection with Coyne and the rest of the band. Anxious 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 musics growth. Smith was only getting started on Anxious, and its poignant, eloquent peek into teenage girlhood is something to be cherished. ~ Heather Phares