As Friends Rust

A Young Trophy Band (2002)

Damien Lynch

As Friends Rust have a new album, and it's got a long name! The full title is "A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of our Times". It's got a pretty long title for a six song EP. Hey, who's complaining? Not me, I've become a pretty big fan of As Friends Rust. Their last CD, "Won", blended hardcore punk rock with that whole genre known as "emo", I think. Emo is a confusing term, really. As Friends Rust is an emotional band, with yelling and screaming and singing, and guitar riffs that don't quite seem right, just enough to sound good. With their new EP, rather than going poppy or slower, they built off their last album. Using harmonies, tempo changes, and showing off the skill to change moods in songs so easily, the new EP is definitely up to par with their last full length.

The track "Born with a Silver Spoon Up your Ass" is the best track off the album. It hardcore with a very catchy riff. It's also a good example of how this band sounds. The song "More Than Just Music, It's a Hairstyle", the first song on the album, shows a bit more experimental side of the band. It's also available on mp3 (down below) by the website.

The EP is very solid and also mixes styles enough so you don't stay bored. The 46 second song "Up and Went", is a slow track with an almost "ambient punk rhythm" in the background as the singer deeply sings his song. The last track, "Where the Wild Things Were", is another style change. It's much more straight-ahead punk sounding, also with a very catchy hook.

This is very good EP, and it doesn't disappoint. After listening to it a few times, it's also grown on me a lot. The new styles still contain the band's sound, but show that they can do more too. This band is definitely on the rise, and I recommend this CD. Similar artists include Thursday, At The Drive-In, etc.