Have Mercy have returned with The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been, a record that digs deeper, hits harder, and shows the band at their sharpest yet. It’s a milestone moment for a group that’s been shaping the Baltimore alt-rock scene for over 15 years.
The release kicks off with a hometown show before the band heads out with Boys Night Out this fall. We caught up with Andrew, lead guitarist of Have Mercy, to talk about the making of the new album, the moments that still hit the hardest on stage, and why some traditions, like “Pizza Forever,” will never die.
Stream The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been here!
Hello, and welcome to the Honey Pop! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Could you give our readers a quick introduction for someone who may not be familiar with Have Mercy?
Sure! I’m Andrew, and I play lead guitar for Have Mercy. We’re an alternative rock band from Baltimore, MD, and we’ve been rocking and rolling together for just over 15 years.
Have Mercy’s music has clearly struck a chord with listeners over the years. Was there a particular moment when you thought, “Wow, this is really reaching people?”
For me, it was on our first headliner tour with Head North, Somos, and You Me And Everyone We Know. We had just done a ton of support tours and saw more and more people singing along, but this was our first headlining tour, and we weren’t sure if anyone was gonna come, and the fans just packed every single venue.
From your breakout debut, The Earth Pushed Back, to now releasing The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been, that’s over a decade of Have Mercy! What does it feel like to look back and see how far the band has come?
It’s a strange and cool feeling being able to look back at these little time capsules of where we were in our lives, and for me to see how far we have come as musicians and songwriters. Looking back at the earlier songs, they were cool and are still fun to play live. But the newer stuff is more technical and “harder,” and because of that challenge, it’s fun to play them live.
You guys are celebrating the release with a hometown show in Baltimore! How does playing back home in Baltimore compare to anywhere else on the map?
We wouldn’t have it any other way. Baltimore has come a long way since we started out music-wise and has always been eclectic. You’d go to a show, and it would be like putting the promoter’s iPod on shuffle, cause you’d have some indie bands, emo bands, and then punk and hardcore. It was one big bowl of music stew that is still amazing and so cool. I’m glad we have bands and artists like Turnstile, Jivebomb, Dan Deacon, and Animal Collective repping our city!
You’ve noted that this release is “the album we’ve always wanted to create.” What made this the right time for that record to happen?
We write songs together that evolve from either a jam or a voice memo. Now we’re finally musically and creatively capable of doing that. When we were younger, we barely knew what we were doing musically and couldn’t communicate what we wanted each other to do when we were jamming. Now it’s like “Hey, try something like this?” And we’ll do the take and make it happen, and even if we don’t use it, we have it, and we did it.
The album’s supporting single, ‘little pieces,’ is about putting yourself back together. Was there a specific turning point or moment that made its way directly into that song?
That’s a Brian question. I know for me, it was getting sober. I stopped drinking on September 17th, 2021. And when I quit drinking, I literally didn’t have anything going on except a loving partner and the guys in the band. I really dove back into guitar to keep my mind off alcohol, and I really think that’s what helped put me back together—were the ‘little pieces’ in my life of my partner, my boys, and my guitar.
Your music has always walked the line between vulnerability and intensity. Is there one lyric on The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been that you think hits hardest, or an older line that still hits you the hardest when you sing it?
“I had a life and I had friends.” from our song ‘Two Years.’ I scream it to the crowd every time we play it live since we wrote it. It’s such a powerful line. Off the new album, I felt a very heavy emotional weight when I first heard the chorus to ‘August 17th.’ My mom passed during COVID, and I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye in person; and when I first heard those lyrics, I just sat back in my chair and was like, “Holy sh!t” cause I’d never really processed it completely.
You’re heading out this October with Boys Night Out for their Trainwreck anniversary tour! What are you most looking forward to about being back on the road?
Getting to hang out with all our fans and friends, seeing one of the greatest rock and roll bands, BNO, play my favorite album every night, and of course, the post-rock food. Seeing who can get the healthiest and least healthy truck stop food.
After six albums and more than a decade together, is there anything from the early days of Have Mercy that’s still part of your DNA as a band—whether it’s a pre-show ritual, a piece of advice, or even a “don’t do this on tour” lesson?
Two things that have stayed with us forever are: we’re best friends first before anything. These are my ride-or-die guys. We are always there for each other. The second thing: “Pizza Forever.”
Lastly, if The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been were a place in the real world, where would it be, and why?
When I first heard the title of the record, I thought of nature. Just being out in the middle of nature alone with nobody around, no cell service. It’s both a very scary and very freeing thing.
What do you think of The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been? Will you be catching Have Mercy when they hit the road with Boys Night Out this fall? Let us know your favorite tracks and tour plans in the comments below, or come talk all things Have Mercy with us over on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
And we have plenty more pop-punk for you, too!
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