The musical collaboration of four stalwarts of the Providence music scene, ANXIOUS WAVE unites guitarist Mikey Belcastro (formerly of the bands Product of Waste and Violent Sons), vocalist Brandon St. Pierre, bass player Sam Okon, and drummer Dylan Lagory. After forming in early 2018, the group released a digital demo that March, followed by the self-released cassette EP Love Quantified in November, and a Summer 2019 split with friends PanzerChocolate.

ANXIOUS WAVE spent the majority of the 2020 lockdown writing and recording their first full-length album, Live From the Poison Factory. The record’s ten riotous tracks were engineered and mixed by Bryan DeStefano at Roach Ranch, mastered by Will Benoit at The Radar Studio, and completed with photography by Vinnie Bellows at 476 Productions, artwork by Greg Pennisten, and layout by Greg Meisenberg. The song “Executive Dissector” features additional vocals by Marina Phom of PanzerChocolate.

A video for the record’s first single "Complex Needs" was released in March 2021 in collaboration with Monster Makeup Productions, a local collective of filmmakers creating independent horror films with a focus on LGBTQ storytelling.