Mercy (Trey Anastasio album)

Mercy
Studio album by Trey Anastasio
Released	March 11, 2022
Genre	Folk
Length	33:28
Label	Rubber Jungle
Producer	Bryce Goggin Robert Stevenson
Trey Anastasio chronology
Lonely Trip (2020) Mercy (2022) January (2023)

Mercy is the twelfth studio album by guitarist and songwriter Trey Anastasio, released on March 11, 2022. ^[1] It is his first fully acoustic album and was produced by Bryce Goggin and Robert Stevenson. ^[2]

Two songs from this album - "Hey Stranger" and "Mercy" - were re-recorded by Phish for their sixteenth studio album, Evolve , released in July 2024.

Background

Mercy is Anastasio's second album recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, after 2020's Lonely Trip , and is seen as a companion to that album. He has said that he intends to implement the songs on the album into Phish's repertoire in the near future. ^[3]

Anastasio felt that the songs needed to be heard in sparse arrangements, saying in the liner notes:

It’s two years since we went into hiding. This is still going on, and it’s an even lonelier trip… Here I was, still at home, playing acoustic guitar. I thought, “These songs just want to be one guy with a guitar, singing.” ^[4]

On the album, Anastasio used a custom-made acoustic guitar by Adam Buchwald of Circle Strings commissioned by Phish keyboardist Page McConnell as a birthday gift. Some songs on the album include more than one guitar part, overlaid on top of an existing part, with Anastasio explaining:

The decision was made very quickly: "Let me double the guitar." I was listening to the first take on headphones and playing off it. It was like jamming with myself. ^[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Trey Anastasio.

Mercy track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Little More Time"	3:39
2.	"Mercy"	4:27
3.	"Flying Blind"	3:07
4.	"Blazing Down the Twisted Wire"	3:41
5.	"6 1/2 Minutes"	3:54
6.	"Roll Like a River"	4:32
7.	"Hey Stranger"	3:33
8.	"Arc"	3:45
9.	"Ever Changing Tide"	2:50
Total length:		33:28

Personnel

• Trey Anastasio – all instruments and vocals

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Trey Anastasio – Mercy Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
2. Kahn, Andy (March 11, 2022). "Trey Anastasio Releases 'Mercy' Solo Acoustic Album". Jambase. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
3. Kahn, Andy (March 11, 2022). "Trey Anastasio Releases 'Mercy' Solo Acoustic Album". Jambase. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
4. Blistein, Jon (March 7, 2022). "Trey Anastasio Preps His First Acoustic Solo Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
5. "Trey Anastasio releases first Solo Acoustic Album Mercy". NYS Music. March 7, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.