Anyone who has paid any mind to Sarah and the Safe Word since the group’s founding in 2015 will know their penchant for their dramatic and the visual. The Atlanta group’s so-called cabaret rock has always dabbled in spectacle, so it’s no surprise that their forthcoming EP, Red Hot and Holy, was constructed with broader artistic intentions than a mere collection of songs. According to guitarist Kienan Dietrich, each track was developed to take on a kind of cinematic allure, so it was critical the first video establish the creative template for the remainder of the record.

“One overall theme on the new EP is that we wanted to give each song a unique cinematic quality,” says Dietrich. “We thought of them as miniature films, and so it was important for us that the initial video translate that into a visual context.”

Inspired by Mark Romanek’s short films for Nine Inch Nails, Raúl Gonzo’s work with Pvris, and videos like the Danger Summer’s “Work in Progress,” the visuals for the EP’s title track strike a wide range of themes and tones. It’s both dark and sensual, disturbing and surreal as each member portrays one of the seven deadly sins. The concept came to Dietrich while brainstorming ideas for a photoshoot. With seven members in the band, it seemed like an interesting fit with considerable aesthetic potential, and once he shared the concept with the rest of the group, the idea began to twist and evolve in a variety of unique directions.

“I brought up the idea, and the rest of the band really ran with it,” says Dietrich. “We picked out who would play which sin, and the choices were sometimes ironic, sometimes fitting. I play Wrath in the video, which is fitting because I’ve dealt with anger management issues since I was a teenager. On the other hand, Courtney [Varner] plays Envy, which is hilarious because she’s one of the most self-sufficient and secure people I’ve ever known. After that, we just brainstormed ideas for symbols that tie into each sin, and then we had this idea that we were all living inside an ancient text that these “ordinary people”—played excellently by our drummer Sam’s [Freeman] parents—would find, read, and be horrified by. It was really a lot of fun.”

As for the forthcoming EP, it finds Sarah and the Safe Word more confident and on firmer footing than ever before. Whereas their last record, Strange Doings in the Night, was written and recorded without a settled lineup, Red Hot and Holy is the first effort to feature the seven-piece as a truly cohesive unit. As such, the group was able to take on a more deliberate and comprehensive approach when writing the record, with each track intended to serve as both a standalone single as well as fleshing out the greater whole. Sonically, fans will be pleased to hear the group’s theatrical take on alt-rock, pop, and emo has only grown more ambitious and fully realized, as “Red Hot and Holy” so vividly demonstrates.

“I’ve been telling people that this EP is the natural progression from Strange Doings in the Night,” says vocalist Sarah Rose. “In a lot of ways, it’s us building on the idea of where the LP started. This is our band fully realizing where we can take our music and becoming aware of how to use our ‘seven limbs.'”

Watch/listen above.

Red Hot and Holy is out Oct. 26.

Sarah and the Safe Word will celebrate the release of Red Hot and Holy on Sat., Oct. 27 at the band’s Halloween Ball at Unity North Atlanta alongside Fable Cry and the Keepsake. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is FREE. All ages.

More Info
Bandcamp: sarahandthesafeword.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @sarahandthesafeword
Instagram: @sarahandthesafeword
Twitter: @STSWBand