Mercy is the fourth studio album by American rock band Remo Drive, released on February 23, 2024, through Epitaph Records.[2]
Background
Mercy originated when Remo Drive frontman and guitarist Erik Paulson moved to Albany, New York while his brother and Remo Drive bassist Stephen Paulson stayed in Minnesota. This led Erik to "[contemplate] the complexities of being in a relationship, of making art and having it be received by a wide audience, and the complexities of finding your footing in a new place".[3] The album was produced by Phil Ek, who is known for his work with bands such as The Shins and Band of Horses. Speaking about working with Ek, Erik Paulson said, "It was refreshing to work with Phil. It made music feel like how it did when we were younger. He was like fuck it, let's go, let's have fun".[4] Remo Drive released the album's lead single, "No, There's No Hope for You", on October 31, 2023, alongside an animated music video. The song served as the band's first release of new music since their 2020 album A Portrait of an Ugly Man.[5]Mercy's second single, "New in Town", was released on December 6, 2023, alongside a music video that, as described by Michael Major of BroadwayWorld, "features a melodramatic karaoke style performance of the song in an empty bar full of mannequins".[6] The album's title track was released as its third single on January 11, 2024, alongside the announcement of the album and a music video, which was described by Logan White of Substream Magazine as "black and white Spaghetti Western style" and "complete with a standoff involving toy guns".[7] "All You'll Ever Catch" was released as the album's fourth single on February 7, 2024.
On August 20, 2024, Remo Drive announced the deluxe edition of Mercy, which will be released on October 18 and will feature cover versions by Field Medic, Boyish, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, and Wilt. Wilt's cover of "Please, Please Be Smart" was released alongside the announcement.[8]
Critical reception
In a negative review, Jesper of Sputnikmusic said that while the performances on the album were "fine", the band "does an excellent job at making everything sound so goddamn lifeless that it's hard to find any value in absolutely anything here". He also stated that Remo Drive have become "an utterly pointless project" and felt that the energy and passion of their early releases was nowhere to be found on Mercy.[9]
