As Friends Rust Return With New Album “Any Joy”

As Friends Rust have released their new full length, Any Joy, via End Hits Records, the album features an impactful seven songs, marking their first new music since 2020 and first full album since 2001. Originally formed in the late ’90s, As Friends Rust has been through a few iterations, but it is the core line-up of vocalist Damien Moyal, guitarists Joseph Simmons & James Glayat and drummer Timothy Kirkpatrick that are creating thought-provoking melodic punk music for the modern age. Not currently having a permanent bassist, the band called upon friend Andrew Seward (Against Me!) to play bass on most of the record, with additional contributions from Simmons.

The record is focused, confrontational, and catchy, packing lyrics with bite and rhythms to move along with. Lyrics tackle everything from the emptiness of emoticons as a form of communication to the need for political and social activism versus the occurrences of daily life. The band will perform at The Fest in Gainesville, FL this October, have a show in Brooklyn, NY in November and a European tour alongside Calling Hours starting on September 29th.

“The album is pretty varied topically, but there is a throughline in the way topics are addressed. In the past, as with many hardcore bands, ideas were presented from a more defined perspective, with a self-assuredness that, in retrospect, is pretty laughable given our ages at the time. On this album, most of the songs are left open as unanswered questions, shining light on an issue or even debating an issue from multiple perspectives, but ultimately leaving things unresolved. We’re trying to explore the nuances that sometimes get missed, or that we’re often too emotionally charged to consider.” (Damien Moyal)