REVIEW: Have Mercy - the loneliest place i've ever been
Learning to love again.
34:36 // August 29, 2025 // Rude
Nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to feel this just about everywhere I look. Maybe it’s a smell that I can’t quite nail down, or a sunset that takes me back to that childhood longing, but where I find that nostalgia most is rooted in music. I can never put a finger on why, but there’s just some music out there that moves me back in time to those simpler days; the loneliest place i’ve ever been is one of those albums for me. After over a decade of performing, Have Mercy have mastered their style of indie rock/post-hardcore with an emo tinge, and it feels like a glimpse into my younger years. Those vibrant choruses of “tv glow” and “only, if only” with their soaring chord progressions and beautiful display of vocal melodies bring about an emotional response, accentuated by lyrics that long for the days before losing hold of a loving relationship or strong bond. “what happy is” and “old selfish me” exude a more somber tone that searches the innermost parts of oneself to find a solution to sadness and loneliness, amplified by their slower pace and darker, reverb-laden guitar work compared to the rest of the record. Whether going for high-energy catchiness or slower burn progressions, the loneliest place i’ve ever been effortlessly captures that feeling of nostalgia in a way that begs you to return for another listen.
Yet with nostalgia comes rose-tinted glasses. While much of the instrumentation here sounds beautiful, there are moments where it feels like it’s just lacking something. “in my veins” and “faking a crush” find themselves caught in a loop of their own patterns, each feeling like they should build tension into a final, massive chorus, yet both end as quickly as they began. “this could be gold,” though matching those hopeful lyrics with shimmering guitar effects, fails to capture that punch that would take the track to the next level. However, these moments don’t take away from the beauty of the loneliest place i’ve ever been’s story. Painted within is a narrative that traverses the path of heartbreak to loving again. From the darkest pits of feeling broken in every way (“little pieces”) to the reflection of searching for someone to teach how to find comfort and change (“what happy is”), Have Mercy craft this lovely concept of finding yourself after being lost for so long in your own despair. Sure, this might not be a perfect album, but it brings me back with a hopeful mind. Those moments of nostalgia remind me of what life was like before I saw what it meant to lose that love, whether in my life or seeing it in others’, but the loneliest place i’ve ever been shows that we can learn from those days for a better tomorrow.