Sarah and the Safe Word

A Rock group for the ages

JARRETT CONNOLLY JARRETT.CONNOLLY.20@CNU.EDU

It’s hard to define what Sarah and The Safe Word is. The Atlanta based band blends a variety of sounds, self described as “queer, dark, cabaret rock” but also incorporating jazz, bluegrass,punk and other sounds.

This band transports their fans into a menagerie of euphonious music, gothic storytelling and social advocacy.

Sarah and The Safe Word was formed in 2015 by vocalist Sarah Rose and guitarist Kienan Dietrich, where both had been active in the Atlanta music scene. After recruiting some more members the band got to work making music.

The band’s 2017 debut album, Strange Doings In The Night, was shown to Van Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, who subsequently invited the band to play at the Atlanta stop of the 2017 Warped Tour. The band has seen numerous successes since then, with four albums, two EPs, multiple festivals and tours, and a record deal with Take This to Heart Records.

The band’s current lineup includes Rose, Dietrich, violinist Susy Reyes, keyboardist Beth Ballinger, bassist Maddox Reksten, and percussionist Carlos Gonzalez.

Sarah and The Safe Word has incorporated almost every genre under the sun and with unmatched theatricality. It would be almost limiting to compare them to other theatrical bands like Panic! At The Disco.

They’ve cited a variety of influences including Fleetwood Mac,Linkin Park, NOFX, and the film The Nightmare Before Christmas. There is literally a song for every type of music fan in their discography. The band’s lyrical range is wide too, from tragic stories to science fiction to rodeos to murder mysteries to the world around them.

They have elaborate song titles like “You’re All Scotch, No Soda”, “The Last Great Sweetheart of the Grand Electric Rodeo”, and “Something is Afoot on Old Man McGrady’s River”.

Sarah and The Safe Word is also known for its advocacy, The band has promoted multiple charities such as National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Trevor Project, and Everytown. The band has also taken a stand against racism and other forms of hate within America and in music. The band is most well known in its advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, of which all of its members are a part of.

Vocalist Sarah Rose, who uses they/ them pronouns, expressed a desire to make their band a visible space for LGBTQ+ persons and advocate for LGBTQ+ causes, they also work as a journalist and activist with Care2 outside of music.

If you ever feel that music has become bland, Try listening to Sarah and The Safe Word. They offer a blend of music that is so much fun to listen to and is incomparable to anything else out there right now. The band’s next album, The Book of Broken Glass, releases on April 7th of this year.