Have Mercy - the loneliest place i've ever been

Maryland’s Have Mercy have always thrived in the grey space between catharsis and collapse, crafting songs that feel like journal entries torn out in the middle of a sleepless night. On their long-awaited sixth studio record, the loneliest place i’ve ever been, out August 29, 2025, via Rude Records, frontman Brian Swindle and company dig deeper than ever into themes of regret, loss, and the fragile beauty of connection. The result is a devastatingly honest collection that feels both intimate and timeless, designed for late nights when the weight of memory is too heavy to shake.

Produced by Swindle himself and sharpened in the mix by longtime collaborator Paul Leavitt, the album captures Have Mercy at their most raw and self-assured. It doesn’t try to reinvent their sound so much as refine it—layering confessional lyrics over guitar-driven arrangements that harken back to the band’s earlier days while embracing the polish of seasoned storytellers.

The album opens with “only, if only,” a slow-burning introduction that sets the tone for what follows: an acknowledgment of regret laced with a flicker of hope. From there, the lead single “august 17” emerges as the record’s emotional centrepiece. Soaring guitars and aching vocals carry the weight of words unsaid, making it one of the most affecting songs in Have Mercy’s catalogue to date. Swindle describes it as a meditation on grief—how the pain dulls but never truly disappears—and that sentiment radiates throughout the entirety of the band's new record. Elsewhere, “in my veins” throbs with intensity, carried by pounding drums and a vocal performance that sounds like Swindle is teetering on the edge of breaking. “old selfish me” immediately follows and wrestles with self-awareness and accountability, while the track “this could be gold” offers one of the record’s rare moments of light—an almost optimistic reflection that feels like stumbling across warmth in the cold.

Midway through the album's tracklist, “tv glows” stands out as a highlight. Both nostalgic and bruised, the song leans into '90s alt-rock textures while blending in elements of emo-based pop-punk, lyrically tracing the unravelling of a relationship once central to one’s identity. The imagery of dim screens and quiet back roads underscores the loneliness that pervades the record. Its companion music video mirrors that melancholy perfectly, visually translating the song’s drifting sense of loss.

The back half of the album sharpens its focus on identity and healing. “faking a crush” balances bittersweet humour with brutal honesty, while “what happy is” is a sobering look at the gap between what we want happiness to be and what it actually feels like, putting the piano at the forefront. The album's closing track, “medicine,” doesn’t tie everything up neatly—it’s jagged and unresolved, but there’s comfort in its ambiguity. It feels less like a goodbye and more like a hand reaching out in the dark.

Visually, the record is brought to life through artwork and direction by Benjamin Lieber, whose fingerprints add a modern, understated elegance to Have Mercy’s familiar aesthetic. It complements the music perfectly: worn-in but purposeful, nostalgic but forward-looking.

Ultimately, the loneliest place i’ve ever been is less about wallowing in sadness and more about surviving it. It’s an album for anyone who’s ever replayed old conversations in their head, felt the sting of growing apart from someone, or sat in silence with the weight of absence. Have Mercy have turned those universal aches into something communal, proving once again why they remain one of the most important voices in modern alt-rock.

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Check out more from Have Mercy: Website: www.havemercymusic.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/havemercymd

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