As Friends Rust announce first full album since 2001, share new video

As Friends Rust have solidified their comeback with the announcement of their upcoming album Any Joy. This will be the band's first full-length album since 2001, set to release on August 18 via End Hits Records. 

The band's latest single "Positive Mental Platitude" gives us a listen into their new album, marking their first musical endeavor since "Up From The Muck" in 2020 after a long hiatus. The band's frontman, Damian Moyal, has stated that the track is about the changing dynamics of human connections in the digital era, particularly our reliance on emoticons to express empathy towards others' hardships.

Speaking on the track Moyal says:

"This song is about how, with personal lives now being made so public, we're all exposed to peoples tragedies and misfortunes, which in the past — prior to the proliferation of social media — were kept private. So now there's this expectation to acknowledge those tragedies when publicized, even though they're being publicized against a million other hardships. So we dole out these handy little gestures and emoticons to quickly show that we've seen the news and we know it's horrible, while allowing us to go on our merry ways without actually having to get too close to the tragedy. It's not necessarily a criticism as much as a 'Wild how quickly things change and how technology yielded a new display of solidarity to keep up' kind of observation."

As Friends Rust, originating from Gainesville, Florida, took the opportunity to write, record, and produce their upcoming album Any Joy from the comfort of their own homes. The band members were scattered across the country, in Ann Arbor, Gainesville, Brooklyn. With a lack of a permanent bassist, As Friends Rust enlisted the help of friend Andrew Seward (of Against Me!) to play bass for most of the record.

Mixed by James Paul Wisner in Orlando, Florida, and mastered by Matthias Lohmoller in Germany, Any Joy resulted from a collaborative effort that involved working in separate spaces. This approach allowed the band members to experiment more, infusing their familiar melodic punk and hardcore roots with a fresh sound that has more depth and edge.

The band will perform at The Fest in Gainesville this October 28, have a show in Brooklyn, NY at Saint Vitus on November 18, and have just announced a European tour alongside Don't Sleep, with more shows planned for this year. 

As Friends Rust Any Joy Tracklist:

01. Final Form
02. Positive Mental Platitude
03. See Us Now
04. Great Filter
05. The Walking Debt
06. Origin Stories
07. No Gods, Some Masters
08. Up From The Muck (CD only)
09. Last Of The Famous International Scumbags (CD only)