Review by Hattan Savage, Rock At Night Nashville

Review: We Are Scientists – “Please Don’t Say It” – April 14, 2025

We Are Scientists. Photo by Sari Murray.

We Are Scientists discovered early on that the key to band life is simple: don’t take it too seriously. Raised in Northern California, influenced by UK post-punk, and sharpened by the 2000s indie-rock scene of New York City, the band has always aimed to find the humor in it all. Twenty years after their 2005 debut album, the band is now gearing up for the July 18th release of their newest album “Qualifying Miles.”

The first single off the album, titled “Please Don’t Say It” is accompanied by a music video that takes the song’s title to heart. Throughout the video, frontman Keith Murray is repeatedly “shushed” by a parade of increasingly bizarre hands. It starts off pretty mild, with just a two finger hush. As the video continues to unfold, we see a woman’s hand with a wedding ring, followed by a silky red glove. Then, things start to escalate: a pirate’s hook, a skeleton hand, and eventually, a strangling showdown between Keith with lobster claw hands, and bassist Chris Cain with a very furry paw.

New fans might be surprised to see a band taking a humorous route for their video, especially in an era when everything is taken so seriously. But long-time fans will recognize this as classic We Are Scientists.

At its core, the message from this song and video conveys an internal struggle between withholding information or speaking the truth. Each hand in the video seems to symbolize a different external force attempting to silence the singer. “Please Don’t Say It” is ultimately a reminder to resist that silence. A reminder to stay true, speak up, and find a way to laugh through it all. Once again, We Are Scientists has proven that honesty and humor go hand in hand.