Sometimes you can say a lot with a little. That’s what Brian Fennell, aka SYML, does throughout his third full-length album “Nobody Lives Here.”
The record covers themes of life, love, loss and the importance of being present. These universal themes are presented using sparse instrumentation, Fennell’s visual lyrics and sharp flasetto to create beautiful, near cinematic songs.
On “Careful” he sings about growing older and comparing yourself to others, trying to keep pace with everyone else in the rat race. He sends the comforting message “Take pride in who you are, not what you do.” It’s followed by “Please Slow Down,” a song that will tug at the heartstings of any parent, where he captures the experience of raising a child and eventually having to let go. “Every little part of you, gets the best of me/Please slow down, time wait up for me,” he sings.
The jaunty “How It Was lt Will Never Be Again,” like many of his songs, is about the passage of time. It reminds you that every moment is a singular experience and to cherish the small, and big things when they happen. Elsewhere “Heartbreakdown” is about the experience of heartbreak, which is something everyone eventually goes through in some manner, and having the courage to move forward after such devastation.
The record closes with the title track, capping a masterful album that perfectly captures the the beautiful spectrum of emotions we all experience from being alive, from joy to sorrow to everything in between.
