Sarah & The Safe Word 'Red Hot & Holy' (EP Review)

Oscar Rendon | November 20th, 2018

Sarah and The Safe Word released their EP ‘Red Hot & Holy’ and we will give you our take on the 7 song EP. Starting off with “Invocation” which is a nice and slow burn intro instrumental. The choice is very rare in EP’s as bands want to typically expose as much of themselves with limited tracks on an EP. But the risk pays off as the slow burn builds and builds which leads us into the second song “Red Hot & Holy” which has the nice piano gothic tone that compliments the Sarah’s vocals on the track. “The Louisville Shuffle (RIP)” has a classic sound straight from a 1930’s saloon fusion. The instrumentation picks up with the guitar that gives the song a lot of it’s fun and dance heavy rhythm that makes you want to move. Lyrics are fun and filled with meaning, especially during the bridge. “Sneaky Boy” is a fun song that is more visual in the lyrical writing. They give you a clear picture you can see in your head when you follow the lyrics. The music enhances that fun concept but the heroes are Susy Reyes and Courtney Varner on the strings (violin and viola). “Dead Girls Tell No Tales” continues the vaudville like sound. “Formula 666” is where it gets really fun as we get a couple mixes of hard rock that make it a more straight rock track and the hero is the guitar played by Kienan Dietrich. The song’s lyrical content is a great metaphor on life and makes it the song that stands out on the EP. “Lit Cigarette” is a culmination of all the theatricality of the singing and instrumentation of everyone. From the strings to the drums it really feels different from the rest as it really feels like a closing song you would hear at their concert. Overall, the sound of all the tracks have their unique signature. The clear standouts are “Formula 666” and “Lit Cigarette” which we wish we could get more of that sound as well but it leaves us excited for an album. We highly recommend you check out the EP now.