Have Mercy’s track-by-track guide to new album NUMB

From a “love letter” to their fans to songs about depression, sobriety and nostalgia, Have Mercy frontman Brian Swindle lifts the lid on the 10 tracks that make up the Baltimore band’s highly-anticipated new album NUMB…

“We’re always trying to have one song on each record that is a hard-hitting, hook-filled tune. I think Alive nails that on the head. It’s about preventing yourself from falling into negative situations. Sometimes taking control of a situation and doing what’s right for you is the hardest thing to do.”

“This is the title-track of the record and is really reminiscent of old Have Mercy. It has the quieter dramatic parts and the huge chorus, which is a theme in our older music. Lyrically, it may be one of the saddest songs on the record. It’s a song about depression. Feeling lost and like you’re not able to convey the things you want.”

“Hey is a love letter that we wanted to give our fans. Getting to tell them, ‘God, I love you,’ in a song was one of the best ways I could communicate it.”

“Friday is a song filled with nostalgia and lust. It’s looking back on the times in your life where life was driving around with the windows down, seeing friends every day, and falling in love for the first time. It reminds me a lot of The Place You Love on our second record. It’s the same memories for me.”

“This song was literally a big surprise. We wanted to add one more song on our record and fill it out with an acoustic jam. I wrote the verses of Big Surprise a while back and needed to figure out a way to round out the song as a whole. I aimed for the Lewis Capaldi-type chorus. Bigger, belting. Lyrically, it’s about getting sober. Which I think is a constant theme on the record. ‘If I give it up, don’t let you down / If I keep my truth, and stick around.’”

“This is a very That Thing You Do-type song. It’s got that same bounce but with a modern feel. It’s about being stuck in the middle of an awkward situation, not knowing how to feel, but continuing to make the decision to be there.”

“I Can’t Stay is a deeply personal song. It’s about not wanting to better yourself in a relationship. Love is a team effort. In order to make things work, you’ve got to take a look at yourself and how your actions affect two people instead of just yourself.”

“This song started as just a piano part that Andrew wrote and vocal lines that we took from an old demo. I think we took some chances with this song. Doing a lot of things musically that we don’t normally do. The chorus itself is very rhythmic and unusual but it felt right.”

“Hit The Ground is about taking a look at the things and people you have and appreciating what you have. Saying, ‘Don’t know why you’ve stuck around when it’s so easy to just hit the ground and runaway.’ It’s about wanting to be better for everyone who sticks by your side.”

“I really didn’t think Floating would make the record. It’s a very different song for HM and it took a long time to find the lyrics for it. I kind of took that feeling and put it back into the song. It’s about being lost. Mentally, emotionally. It ended up being a perfect way to end the record. Huge guitar and bass work from Andrew and Nick, lots of energy on the vocals, and the last note drags feedback to the very end of the record.”

NUMB is released December 8 via Rude Records

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