When Have Mercy returned earlier this month with their first new music since 2019, the Baltimore punks sounded mature both in their evolving sound and in their lyrics, with Brian Swindle feeling inspired to write “I’m Gonna Be OK” after meeting his partner, getting sober, and otherwise getting his act together to ensure the relationship stuck. The band’s second single from their forthcoming self-titled EP shares a similar mindset, with “SIO (Spit It Out)” looking back on all those years spent repeating different iterations of the same night at the bar.
“Lick the salt off your hands,” Swindle sings at the beginning of the track with the air of routine in his voice, “Like it makes any difference of who I am.” The chorus, on the other hand, feels wholly energized—less exhausted by the thought of yet another night of drinking and more inspired by a future that lies ahead. “‘SIO’ came out of nowhere,” Swindle explains. “I was just reminiscing on drunk nights meeting someone at the bar. It never ends in a fairytale way. ‘Spit It Out’ is just saying ‘Get to the point, let’s get to the end of this night.’”
Check out the song below, and pre-save the EP here.
