Album Review: "Nobody Lives Here" - SYML

Seattle, Washington based multi-platinum artist, SYML has just recently dropped his 3rd studio album, "Nobody Lives Here", a collection of songs to act as a sense of comfort within a time of uncertainty and passing time.

TRACKLIST

A100

Carry No Thing

Careful

Please Slow Down

The White Light of the Morning

Wake

Heavy Hearts

How It Was It Will Never Be Again

Something Beautiful and Bright

Heartbreakdown

Nobody Lives Here

SYML is the moniker for Brian Fennell, meaning "simple" and an ode to his Welsh heritage that he only discovered once he was older after being adopted as a child. Simple is the way Brian has chosen to live his artistic life, just wanting to simply share his music, although it seems the world has taken quite a liking to him. Brian grew up taking classical piano lessons, but it wasn't until college that he really wanted to start releasing music; so he came up with "SYML". Little did he know just how much impact he was about to make. He officially debuted in 2016 with his first EP, "Hurt For Me", but it was in 2019 when he released his song "Where's My Love" that SYML skyrocketed. Now at this point in time, "Where's My Love" is multi-platinum and platinum in many countries and has over 800 million streams. SYML has continued to see great success, now having over 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify, a total of 4 Billion streams across all platforms, and going on his own headline tours around the world. Now with his third album, "Nobody Lives Here", which he recorded and self-produced in his home studio, he hopes he can bring a fresh new sound to listeners in a time of need.

A100

The album opens with a stunning 38 second instrumental intro. With a steady B flat piano note beating in an 8th note rhythm, the song blooms into a beautiful, atmospheric soundscape of keys, horns and reverb. It's a cathartic, cinematic moment that connects and leads perfectly into the next song.

Carry No Thing

Effortlessly transitioning from "A100", we go into "Carry No Thing". This song sings of a heavy topic that many of us struggle to face: we are going to die. Dying is inevitable; we are all going to parish someday, and nobody knows what happens next. Do our souls live on in another land? Or do we simply just disappear into nothing? In "Carry No Thing", SYML knows one thing for certain, and that's that no matter how, when, or where he passes or what comes after, he hopes that he at least gets to spend that last breath in the arms of the person he loves. He's not scared of dying, knowing that no matter what he will always have that to take with him to the grave. "Carry No Thing" is gentle, but strong. It has a soft power behind it's instrumentation, with heavily reverbed drums and guitar at the forefront. The style has a classic folk tone mixed with a little bit of Americana twang as SYML sings with calm assurance.

Careful

Next is "Careful", which feels a lot more personal and deep in it's lyricism as SYML talks about his adopted life; not knowing who gave him his face, and feeling lucky that he's not bald but seeming to get grays in his hair already at still such a young age. This song touches on the subject of how time seems to keep going by faster and faster while what you do with that time just doesn't feel satisfying enough. SYML sings, "Grow up, slow down, it’s okay / I have been patient, running out of time to waste". At the same time, SYML reminds himself that it's okay, and this is all just a normal part of life and getting older. Enjoy living while you can, and everything will happen the way it's supposed to. "Careful" starts with an ear-worm piano riff that starts to build slowly throughout the song until it bursts into an emotional crashing rock song moment for the bridge. It comes back down with just piano for a tear-jerking outro, as SYML's final words ring out as a reminder to everyone struggling right now, "wake up, breath in, you're okay".

Please Slow Down

"Please Slow Down" is meant to take many shapes and meanings; whether it's from the perspective of a parent or older siblings watching their little ones grow up too fast, or from someone who feels they let their youth go to waste and they're giving advice to a younger generation, or maybe it's even a message to your own self. "Please Slow Down" is keeping the theme of fleeting time, and cherishing the beautiful moments we have, remembering to not take them for granted. The song begins with a gorgeous folk inspired acoustic guitar picking pattern, and continues to build both emotionally and dynamically with piano, a stomping beat and a steel guitar to add a bit of western flare.

The White Light of the Morning

Losing someone you love is never easy, and no one expects you to ever get over it. The only thing you can do is cherish the time you did have together, and work through your grief with the understanding that nobody is ever truly gone. "The White Light of the Morning" is an emotional piano ballad that anyone who has dealt with the death of a loved one can relate to. Especially when it was someone who passed way too soon or unexpectedly, there's always a part of you that wonders if there was a way you could've saved them; but that is no way for you to live, and they wouldn't want you to do that to yourself either. Just know that they're in a better place where there's no pain and suffering; and those moments that you think you can still feel them around, that's because they are.

Wake

Isn't it strange how love finds you not only at the time where you least expect it, but also when you need it the most? The song "Wake" is about when that perfect person comes into your life and saves you when you didn't even know you needed it. The peace that you feel with them around is a kind of bliss that you didn't know existed. The song features dueling acoustic and steel guitars, carrying a gentle and soft tune of unconditional love and comfort.

Heavy Hearts

Shifting moods from the last track, we have "Heavy Hearts", a heartbreaking ballad about the reality of growing apart from the person you thought you'd spend the rest of your life with. There's nothing that hurts worse than watching the person you still love, fall out of love with you. Having to see them move on while you struggle to heal from the pain of losing them is harsh to say the least. This song truly moves like a tragic tale, starting with SYML singing in gorgeous falsetto with acoustic guitar, then building into a quite literal heavy chorus with such an addicting and emotional melody. The song moves and shifts in it's dynamics and tone, SYML comparing it to "the aurora borealis seen through a glacier".

How It Was It Will Never Be Again

"How It Was It Will Never Be Again" holds a lot of honest human emotion of what we've all felt and where we've all been at one point or another in our lives; where so much disaster happens that we're put back to square one, and we feel so defeated that you don't know if you have the strength to try and start over again. Everyone knows it's frustrating when things don't go your way, but these painful moments only make you a stronger person. We all learn from what we go through, and now you can say you'll never let it happen again. SYML sings in a conversational falsetto. The instrumentation here is simply gentle, but still beautiful and emotional, that way the lyrics really capture your attention. It's an important message here being put across.

Something Beautiful and Bright

"Something Beautiful and Bright" features brilliant lyricism, reading off like an eloquent poem. Despite the title, the tone is dark and melancholy, starting off as a piano ballad and building into a full, orchestral inspired, cinematic soundscape with guitar, strings and a soft beat. "Something Beautiful and Bright" is about overcoming your past; those actions and inhibitions that haunt you so you can finally let someone into your life, allowing yourself to be open and loved.

Heartbreakdown

"Heartbreakdown" is about the unavoidable negative moments we face in life; when we get broken up with or cheated on, when we receive bad news or our health declines, or when someone we love dies, or maybe it's just a day when everything seems to be going wrong. We can't prevent bad things from happening to us; it's just part of living - however, you can choose what you do with that that pain and heartbreak, and how you will move forward. "Heartbreakdown" has a steady, catchy acoustic guitar rhythm to go along with it's incredible lyricism and storytelling. Perhaps my personal favorite part is it's optimistic and advice filled bridge for anybody out there who might be going through a heartbreak right now.

Nobody Lives Here

Last, but certainly not least, we have the title track of the album, "Nobody Lives Here". It feels personal, with deep poetic lyrics about an empty home, a car crash and being arrested, which I feel can be taken both literally and figuratively. The song itself has a very beautiful, slow tempo with a classic tone. SYML sings gently, harmonizing with himself in a vocal arrangement that is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye due to it's heavenly nature. It's a very emotional, and solid way to bring this album to an end.

SYML honestly created something here that I can't say I've heard anything like before. The themes are so raw, human, and naturistic, and it touches on topics we are often uncomfortable with, but need to think about and come to peace with. Having this album is going to mean so much to so many people. "Nobody Lives Here" showcases SYML as the well-rounded artist he is, and the genuine person he is as well. They say the best music comes from the heart, and you can truly feel it in this one. SYML is on tour for this album right now, so if you loved it as much as I did you better go snag some tickets while you still can! Make sure to follow him on all of his socials below, as SYML always keeps his fans updated on what's to come.

Written By Kaitlyn Nicole

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