Mercy Music Talks New Album 'What You Stand To Lose'

Written by Faith Logue

Graphic by Rebekah Witt

Formed in 2014, Mercy Music is a genre-blending band, featuring vocalist and guitarist Brendan Scholz, bassist Jarred Cooper, and drummer Rye Martin. They have toured extensively across the United States and the EU, playing festivals like SXSW, Punk Rock Bowling, and Life is Beautiful while performing with many high-profile pop-punk bands. Their new record What You Stand To Lose utilizes pop hooks with guitar solos, telling the story of Scholz's life over the last couple of years through a range of emotions. I talked with him about the record including its themes, album cover, and what makes Mercy Music who they are.

Your album What You Stand To Lose is out now, touching on topics like physical and mental health, heartbreak, and personal growth. What topic felt the easiest to write about, and did any feel emotionally difficult to you?

This is the hardest album I've ever had to write. I can't say any of it was easy to write. There were many times I went back and almost decided to change the subject matter of these songs, but at the end of the day, I knew I had to get it out of me and get these songs out.

Each song brings the listener on an emotional rollercoaster, through ups and downs, with none sounding quite the same. How important is it to you guys to bend the rules and not stay in just one particular genre?

When starting Mercy Music, I always kind of told myself that what I wrote is capable of being a Mercy Music song and that I don't want to put the project into a box. Basically what comes out, within reason, is a Mercy Music song. Long story short, I'd have to say not staying genre-specific is very important to me.

Photo courtesy of Corlene Machine

Are there any bands or artists that influenced the record, and if not, what are some of your favorites?

Some of my favorites include Thin Lizzy, Squeeze, Jawbreaker, The Replacements, ALL, Jimi Hendrix, and Hank Williams.

The album’s topics vary with each song, with “Believe In We” focusing on feeling optimistic, to the next track “Undone,” focusing on feeling pain and continuing. How did you decide on the order of songs, and are there any songs that go hand in hand with one another?

We spent a lot of time on the sequence of the record—making sure it flowed as nicely as it could, focusing more on music and melody, not so much lyrical content. I can't say some songs go hand-in-hand so much as the record as a whole just generally has a theme to it.

You said in an interview that you hope people take away from the album that life can fall apart and you can find the strength to keep going. From writing the album and feeling all these emotions, what is some advice you could give to listeners on how to stay optimistic when things fall apart?

It may sound simple, but it has helped me a lot this year...When I wake up, and before I fall asleep, I list five or so things that I'm grateful for. It doesn't matter how big or small. I feel it helps bring things into perspective when you feel like you're falling apart because it can always be worse than it is.

The album experimented with longer guitar solos, higher-pitched and powerful vocals, and irresistible melodies. What would you say your favorite part of the songwriting process is and why?

For me, after the foundation is put down, my favorite part is to go in and make it more interesting musically, maybe try different chords, variations, etc. I hate doing the same thing twice, so I like to make things as complicated or fun as possible musically within the basic framework of a pop song.

I love album covers, and I’m curious about the one for What You Stand To Lose. I interpret it as the child looking out into their future, full of choppy waves or calm water (as life is). What does it mean to you, and how did you decide on it?

It was honestly our artist's (Denny Blackwell) first offering, and we loved it and stuck with it. It kind of displays a metaphor for the theme of the record: a vast nothingness or a blank canvas in front of you, back to what was before, etc. Sadness/uncertainty and possible new birth.

Finally, you will be embarking on a couple of show runs in California and Arizona, so what can fans expect from the shows?

They can expect a high energy heartfelt performance with a set list that spans all of our releases. Thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with me!

Mercy Music’s new album What You Stand To Lose is out now on all streaming platforms, and make sure to support them by checking out their website and show dates!