Have Mercy

Formed in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2009, Have Mercy is part of the American emo and alternative rock scene centered on singer-guitarist Brian Swindle. The band, now a four-piece, crafts a sound that mixes indie rock, pop-punk and post-hardcore, featuring taut guitars, melodic choruses and a frequently melancholic tone. After the EPs Land of the Pleasant Living (2011) and My Oldest Friend (2012), Have Mercy released The Earth Pushed Back (2013) on Topshelf Records, followed by A Place of Our Own (2014) and Make The Best of It (2017) on Hopeless Records. Their trajectory has been marked by several lineup changes, while Brian Swindle has remained the project's anchor. A fourth album, The Love Life, appeared in 2019, shortly before an initial announcement of disbanding; this was later reversed with a return in 2022 via the EP Have Mercy. The reunion continued with Numb in 2023 on Rude Records. Throughout their career, Have Mercy has maintained a compact, nervy songwriting approach that sits between American alternative rock, confessional emo and the rougher impulses of post-hardcore.