Review: Have Mercy – The Earth Pushed Back

By Ray Cobra

Memory is a funny thing. There are things in this world that I don’t remember for one reason or another. Music is not one of those things. I can tell you where and what I was doing when I first heard certain bands. The latest is Have Mercy, a post-hardcore band from Baltimore, MD. The first time I heard their debut album, The Earth Pushed Back was in May of this year. I was in my room in Georgia. I liked what I heard so much that I listened to the full album back to back. The reason I remember this is simple, these guys have talent.

I will be the first to admit that the music itself isn’t anything new or spectacular. We have heard it before, most post hardcore bands stick to the same formula. The reason is because it sounds good. The thing that sets these bands apart are the lyrics and the lyrics on this album are great. These are some of the best lyrics I have heard in a while in any genre. This is a band that is without a doubt putting it all out there for us to hear. When listening to the album it sounds like one is just reading from a jounral to music. That is how personal this record is. It starts with the first song “Level Head.” There is a line that goes, “I always think about where we’ll be in 20 years and if you’ll marry me. I had no clue when you were drunk you told me dreams of who you are and who you want to be.” When I hear this I think about two things, one been how this would feel to hear it live and my life a few years ago. This is one of those songs that I feel in every way possible. When I hear this song I want to cry. The very next song, “Ancient West” also talks about marrige. There is a line that goes, “Maybe I’ll hear your voice in a crowded room / Picture us one day a bride and a groom.” These two songs lend me to believe someone in this band has had his heart broken by the girl he thought was the one. There is the song “Weak st the Knees.” Once again it’s the songwriting that is at the forefront. And again it is of pain. In this song I can feel what he is singing. The words and the way they are arranged are so powerful. “I called you up, just where have you been? I’m just waiting for our lives to begin. No one wants you the way that I want you. When no one wants you, can you say you want me too? “ This line sounds like something that Morrissey would write. The other aspect that sticks out about this album is the flow of it. The transition from one song to the next is very smooth. You can credit that to the awesome J. Robbins. If you don’t know who he is, look him up. He probably has worked on an album you enjoy.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFE0xEJtbIw&h=297&w=450]

Overall this is a very solid release. These guys have set the bar high for themselves and the rest of their genre. It is going to be interesting to see what happened next. I don’t like to say bands are the next someone but these guys remind of a certain band from New Jersey. A band that left “A hole in the world”