Say Nothing

Say Nothing is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Theory of a Deadman, released on January 31, 2020, through 604 Records in Canada and Atlantic and Roadrunner Records in the United States. The record contains lyrics about such issues as domestic violence and racism. The band opted to continue their collaboration with Swedish music producer Martin Terefe—who worked with them on their previous album Wake Up Call—returning to London in April 2019. Their prior album marked the group's departure from their usual hard rock sound to a more pop- and pop rock-infused style and was met with mixed reviews from critics. Background and development Theory of a Deadman's sound had been firmly rooted in the alternative and hard rock genres since the band signed a record deal with Chad Kroeger's 604 Records in 2001. Lead singer Tyler Connolly stated that after the release of their fourth studio album, The Truth Is..., in 2011, the band was receiving pressure from their record label to create an album that was "more poppy". He believed the label was "getting tired of [their] fun rock stuff" and "wanted to hear something different". The band responded to this pressure with the release of their fifth studio album, Savages, in 2014, which Connolly described as the "opposite" of their record label's wishes. Los Angeles-based music producer Howard Benson worked with the band on Savages as well as three of their previous albums, but the group felt they wanted something different for their future records. Connolly stated that their A&R team mentioned Swedish music producer, Martin Terefe, who was known for working with pop rock music artists such as Jason Mraz, James Blunt, and Train, and was interested in collaborating with the group. Theory of a Deadman spent seven weeks in London in 2016, recording at Terefe's Kensaltown Studios. The band's sixth studio album Wake Up Call, released in October 2017, has been described by critics as a departure from Theory of a Deadman's usual hard rock foundation, moving into pop and pop rock territory. The band credited this shift to Connolly, the group's primary songwriter, acquiring and learning how to play the piano prior to the album's recording. Connolly expressed feeling creatively exhausted, stating, "For some reason, [on] this album, I felt tapped on the guitar side.