ALBUM REVIEW: SYML – Nobody Lives Here

On his new record, Nobody Lives Here, Brian Fennell, known better through his music project, SYML, shows us less is often more. Filled with introspective and delicately crafted tracks, Fennel embraces the simplicity of raw emotion and vulnerability. On this album, what is said carries as much weight as what isn’t said, taking listeners on a slow and gentle journey through love, loss, and change.

“A100,” the ambient first track of SYML’s new album recalibrates listeners out of the chaos of life and into serenity. Through “A100″ Fennel tells us exactly what to expect from this album without saying anything. Its accompanying music video brings together visuals from other tracks on the album like a trailer, foreshadowing the metamorphosis to come. 

In earlier songs, Fennel reckons with the passage of time. From struggling to keep up with the constant demand that comes with being a working artist in “Careful,” to wishing your child wouldn’t grow up in “Please Slow Down,” Fennel eloquently gives a voice to the ways​ we are affected by the passage of time. These early tracks are beautiful and complex, as the record takes us through the progression of a life. 

“How It Was Will Never Be Again,” brings all the emotional and narrative buildup on the album to a climax. With folksy acoustic instrumentals, Fennel sings “Talk me off the ledge / How it was, it will never be again.” This track gives a voice to a lot of common fears, having to restart, getting older, and never recovering the life you had. Almost like the narrative climax of the album,  “How It Was Will Never Be Again” surges with emotion and honesty.

Closing with the title track, “Nobody Lives Here,” Fennel releases all of the built up emotional tension, returning to a feeling of serenity similar to “A100”. With the final lyrics, “no longer mine, I’m letting you go,” he resigns himself to the nature of time. In its closing, Nobody Lives Here feels like finding a message in a bottle. Pouring his heart out across 11 songs, and letting it tossing it out to sea, this record is an impressive and mature reflection on loss and time.