Annika Socolofsky Drops Title Track From 'Don't say a word' Album

Avant-folk vocalist and composer Annika Socolofsky releases the new single & video 'Don’t say a word' from her upcoming album Don’t say a word — an album of feminist rager-lullabies for the new queer era.

In Annika Socolofsky’s latest single & video, ‘Don’t say a word’, the word “hush” becomes a jumping-off point for a wide exploration of rage and comfort via extended vocal techniques, tone colors, shape, and visual narrative.

“‘Don’t say a word’ is an anthem of anger. It's a silencing of the mansplainers and a reclamation of power” says Socolofsky, whose powerful vocal performance is accompanied by long-time collaborators Latitude 49. The North Carolina-based ensemble resonates with and amplifies Socolofsky’s vocal work, evoking a potent sensation of experiencing 'Don’t say a word' from within her voice. 

“As a queer Midwestern kid, I spent much of my life on the fringes of society. I was too butch, too loud, too opinionated, too emotional. As I grew older and began to find my place in the queer community, I began to realize that I wasn’t the one who was wrong for existing in my own way. Society was wrong for denying me my truth and power all my life. And then I got angry. I know I’m not unique in this experience. And I hope this music validates those who have felt this rage, those who thought they were alone in it.” 

After years of being othered, Socolofsky ushered her anger into Don’t say a word. Through the process, the composer found love again — love for the disenfranchised child inside, and for her family — both given and chosen — who have been there for her. While searching for her lost love, Socolofsky also ransacked, reappropriated, and retold some of society’s most-loved lullabies. 

“Lullabies have long been a safe space for women to express themselves. But at the same time, these relatively ancient texts often indoctrinate young minds with outdated, sexist, and homophobic ‘moral’ codes. As I delve ever deeper into my adulthood, I have found many of these lessons have harmed me so deeply that I have no choice but to rebel, to rage against the very words that once soothed me.” 

In this raging rebellion against once-soothing words, Socolofsky wrote Don’t say a word, eight new lullabies for her adult self, cradle songs that assert love long muffled: self-love, queer love, love for her temper and tongue, and love for those who have lighted her way. 

“This unapologetic profession of love and vulnerability is something I have felt denied all my life. And it’s time to reclaim it. These are love songs for the self. These are my feminist rager-lullabies for the new queer era.”

Watch the new music video here: