Say Nothing

Though they’ve mostly avoided addressing politics and social issues in their songs, Canadian rock band Theory of a Deadman decided to dive into both on their seventh album. While Say Nothing includes many of the type of relationship-based songs the group thrives on, it also explores darker themes inspired by current events and the deep divisions in American politics. “I was watching a lot of American news,” vocalist/guitarist Tyler Connolly tells Apple Music. “In Canada, the news would be ‘This just in: There’s a tree down on Main Street’ or ‘Record snowfall!’. In the States, it’s a lot of fear-based stuff, like ‘Could your child get AIDS from the playground? Stay tuned and find out.’ So there was definitely a lot to write about.” Here Connolly says plenty about each song on Say Nothing. Black Hole in Your Heart “This is about someone that you’re maybe in a relationship with that just continues to suck you in, and it doesn't matter how much you want to try to get away from this person. I think we've all been in a relationship that felt this way, where you almost feel trapped. I’ve actually heard people that have been in bad relationships say, ‘Well, it's better than being alone…’ They continue to defend that person, but really they're just this huge black hole that keeps pulling them into their misery.” History of Violence “There was a news article about a woman who had killed her sex trafficker and [was sentenced] to prison for life. But I think a judge finally reversed it and let her out. So this song talks about a woman who’s trapped in an abusive relationship. Her lover beats her, and she, for some reason, decides the only way out is to kill him. Then she ends up in jail, which for her is a heck of a lot safer place to be. And now she feels free of him, even though she’s not free at all. I guess there’s probably a lot of people that feel that way.” Affluenza “I’m not sure who came up with the term ‘affluenza’, but I think it might’ve been in the Ethan Couch t