As Friends Rust are set to release their new album Any Joy, on September 8th on End Hits Records (moved from August 18th). Today, the melodic hardcore band shares third single “No Gods, Some Masters,” a gruff track addressing the need for political and social activism versus the occurrences of daily life. Over swirling guitars the band refrains “We care, but not so much”, not afraid to give a too real declaration of what many think but might not proclaim.
Speaking on the lyrics, vocalist Damien Moyal states:
“We rush through our days tackling to-do lists, only glancing peripherally at the onslaught of injustices happening around us. To the dismay of our younger selves, most of us are not living in squats, creating, inspiring or fighting in the streets. We’re tired, distractible and willfully bound to careers, property and creature comforts. We want to show solidarity, to lend our voices to those who need them, but seem to favor the demands of our personal lives. ‘No Gods, Some Masters’ is about reconciling good intentions with inaction.”
As Friends Rust have shared their existential new single and video “Final Form.” On “Final Form,” emotional hollered hooks rise over layered, intricate guitars creating immense melodies. The video for the song finds vocalist Damien Moyal playing a man struggling with his own morality while fighting against time, and Moyal’s son plays the younger version of the character in the Nathaniel Shannon filmed clip.
Speaking on the lyrics, vocalist Moyal states:
“‘Final Form’ is about how one day you wake up and, with no real warning, you're just not young anymore. The ascent to the top of that proverbial hill is slow and steady. You're barely aware that there's a peak at all, and practically oblivious to the impending drop, which is in fact a plummet. I spent so many years living recklessly, and now that I’m finally getting the hang of this thing, the end feels like it's just around the corner. I want to live, but I can practically smell the casket. It's kind of lamenting the chance and absurdity of it all. The impermanence. The un-winnable race against time.”
Originating in Gainesville, Florida and now spread across the country, As Friends Rust wrote, recorded, and produced Any Joy mostly from the comfort of their own homes. Vocals in Ann Arbor, MI, guitars in Gainesville, FL and Brooklyn, NY, with the exception of the drums, which were recorded in a studio by John Howard in Gainesville. Not currently having a permanent bassist, the band called upon friend Andrew Seward (of Against Me!) to play bass on most of the record, with additional contributions from Simmons. Mixed by James Paul Wisner in Orlando, FL and mastered by Matthias Lohmöller in Germany, the creation of the album was truly a collaborative and international effort. Working in separate spaces allowed the band to experiment more as the songs came together, resulting in a familiar but fresh sound that has more bite than past releases. It’s more focused, more direct, more confrontational, more catchy, while still staying true to the band’s melodic punk and hardcore roots.
Speaking on the track, Moyal expands:
“‘Positive Mental Platitude’ is about performative concern, using Facebook’s “Care reaction" emoji to symbolize the fairly empty gestures we make to show solidarity or sympathy without getting too close. We now have constant visibility into each other’s lives, so when we see someone suffering some misfortune, there’s an expectation to acknowledge it and empathize in spite of our own busy lives, struggles and tragedies. This dynamic requires new tools, and quick ones, to keep pace. With a single emoticon – praying hands, a heart, a muscular arm flexing – we can fulfill our ends of the social contract, neatly and conveniently. Reflexively. It’s not without its merits. I do it. But it’s not particularly meaningful, either. Sweet, but no staying power.”