Punk rock foursome Anxious Wave ply their trade with Live From The Poison Factory.
Stemming from Providence, Rhode Island, Brandon St. Pierre (vocals), Mikey Belcastro (guitar), Sam Okon (bass), and Dylan Lagory (drums) make up Anxious Wave. The band has been together since 2018, issuing a demo, an EP, and a split since then. Live From The Poison Factory is their first full-length album.
There are ten tracks on the record with an average running time of about two minutes. Number one in line is “Complex Needs.” Drums enter first, then a great bass line, a riff, and punk vocals. We are off and running now. Without listening to the lyrics at all you get the attitude from the tone. The complex needs seem to be a real pain in the ass – that’s what I am taking away from it. “The Silk Fortress” puts together disparate stances and makes them dance together as the bass line seems to have a mind of its own, the vocal is sad then mad, and the riff is surprisingly linear. It is like if an earthquake somehow created a perfect portrait in the generated ruin.
“Mirror Bed,” different still, does put me in mind of classic punk music from way back. It has a nice bounciness that helps the anger move along. “Nothing Elicits Joy” sounds like the title of a comment card at a crisis therapist’s office, and then “Regards” is a lovely ballad. Sort of.
The back half is similarly variegated. Lots of great juxtapositions, but also excellent straight-forward constructions, too. I am particularly enamored with “Executive Dissector,” with its additional vocal line and the flagrant raggedness of it all. It could just be me, but I get a strong nostalgic feel for the punk I used to listen to when I first listened to punk as I listen to Anxious Wave now. Yeah. Recommended.
Nefarious Industries will let Live From The Poison Factory loose on Friday, September 2nd on vinyl, cassette, and digital.
Links.
Bandcamp, https://anxiouswave.bandcamp.com/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/anxiouswave/
Nefarious Industries, https://www.nefariousindustries.com/
© Wayne Edwards
Flying Fiddlesticks Music Blog 