Have Mercy – The Earth Pushed Back

The surprising part thing about tuning in to Have Mercy is just how pleasant of a listen the Baltimore, MD emo/indie act makes for.  Their debut full length, The Earth Pushed Back, draws from a style of anguishing emotion, but channels the angst to a place of great harmonies.  This distances them from contemporaries like The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and Citizen if only for the calmer emotions Have Mercy bring to the fore.

The Earth Pushed Back balances gut busting vocal highs that outweigh a mellower instrumental ambience.  Balance becomes key as reserved twinkles take on grainy outbursts in tracks like “Let’s Talk About Your Hair.”  The instrumental mood is that of a defeatist, with vocalist Swindle’s outbursts lashing out in defiance of truths yet to find acceptance.  Opener “Level Head” offers an initial survey with some early-contented vocals seesawing back and forth between fits of unhappiness and emotional unrest.  Swindle’s clean vocals (most melodic in the wispy “Living Dead”) could easily land him followers in the contemporary indie scene, while his unsteady nature (most vulnerable in “This Old Ark”) should satisfy those drawn to all things emo.  Meanwhile, showpiece “Weak In The Knees” admirably combines all of the above.

The overall approach is somewhat one sided though.  The songs typically move from mellow to emotional – the music responsible for the former, and a few good yelps building up the latter (“The Gates” being a vocal high point when the music outright stops to emphasize a crushing a few key lines).  Their success begs the question of whether the inverse would be worth exploring.  With their creativity, the prospect of hearing the music hitting the emotion high alongside an emotionally restrained Swindle stands to add yet another unpredictable layer to their sonic tapestry.

Overall, The Earth Pushed Back boasts a myriad of indie and emotional sounds based on the imperfection of life.  Likewise, the struggles within offer engaging discussion points without degrading into the trap of self-pity of many of their peers.  Aside from splitting a few hairs and pointing out my own personal wish list, Have Mercy has made a strong argument for its future.