ANOHNI has shared a video for “Scapegoat,” the centerpiece of her latest album, My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross, released on Rough Trade and Secretly Canadian.

Directed by ANOHNI’s sister, the London-based filmmaker Sara Hegarty, the “Scapegoat” video depicts a young woman contained in isolation, who retreats within her mind to a pastoral world where a mandate of care protects her, and she is free to express joy, wonderment, and relief. The video asks whether such a society is within reach. The film was art directed by the photographer and visual artist Barbara Hegarty, and assisted by Ella Hegarty.

The song “Scapegoat” — co-written by ANOHNI and producer Jimmy Hogarth — articulates the crisis experienced by those caught in cycles of persecution, interweaving the intentions of a perpetrator with an omniscient voice, perhaps that of Nature herself. The lyrics are direct: “You’re so killable … disappear-able // This one we need not protect // This one’s a freebie for our guns // take this one to a place // You’d better have your way // Take all of my hate into your body.” ANOHNI refers alternately to victims of sexual assault, kidnapping, murder, gun violence, torture, and bullying. She asserts that certain human bodies are designated as expendable by our families, communities and societies.

In the final stanza, ANOHNI states: “It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from // It doesn’t matter what you’ve got to give, or why you want to live // You’re my scapegoat // It’s not personal.” A crushing guitar solo commands the song’s finale. By stating “It’s not personal,” ANOHNI offers that the interior specificity of scapegoating victims exists beyond the insight, and the reach, of any perpetrator.

In contrast to the cruel scenarios described in the lyrics, Sara Hegarty’s video depicts a feminine world in which a young woman imagines living a joyful life, free from fear.

Stream My Back Was a Bridge For You To Cross HERE.