In January 2020, it was announced that As Friends Rust would perform at Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama on September 20, 2020, though the festival was ultimately cancelled in June 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . As Friends Rust was re-booked to perform at the next year’s edition, and set to play on September 26, 2021, but the band cancelled its appearance due to the prolonged pandemic. The band was again re-booked for the 2022 edition. In a September 2021 interview, Moyal noted that the band was still working on its planned second full-length album. He also explained that there had been interest in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Won in 2021, but that due to last-minute planning, the celebration had been postponed to the album’s 25th anniversary in 2026. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the band recorded the song “Laughing Out Loud (Quarantine Acoustic Version),” which was released exclusively on the Various Artists compilation Strength Thru Unity: A Conne Island Benefit Compilation , through Unity Worldwide Records on October 18, 2021.
Furnace Fest announced
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