London-based alternative progressive rock band Temples on Mars are back with their brand-new single Safeword, the latest track from their upcoming full-length album The Last Ship, set for release on 31st October 2025.

“We are over the moon to finally be back with our brand new single Safeword,” the band shares. “This is our first release since July 2023 and we are very grateful to be able to return. We have had a lot going on outside of the band with births, family tragedy, illnesses, other projects etc, all on top of the realities of being in a small band in a highly competitive industry so our timeline just kept moving back. Although lyrically the song is about having a safe word to make things stop, the reality is quite the opposite. Coming back with this single is a show of resilience which is very much part of the Temples on Mars DNA. So many times, it would have been a lot easier to just walk away but we have kept grinding. Musically it is a new direction for Temples on Mars and leans towards the electronic side of our sound more so than the heavy.”

Recorded between London and Los Angeles, Safeword was produced by Darren Carikas and James Donaldson and mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, Nashville.

Speaking on the track’s origins, frontman James Donaldson adds, “Believe it or not, the original idea for ‘Safeword’ was a heavy Rammstein-esque riff. I just couldn’t get it to work overall so I left it alone for a while and decided to take it all apart and approach it from a completely different angle, which became the Safeword you hear today. At that point in time there were lots of things going on in my life; kind of enough that I wished I had a safe word to make it all stop and just get a breather somewhere comforting and beautiful.”

SAFEWORD IS AVAILABLE ON ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS

Your support makes stories like this possible!

Underground Press relies entirely on your generosity, enabling us to report on the entertainment industry, free of charge and independently. Your contribution ensures millions worldwide can continue to visit our site for amazing content from around the web.
*Currency in South African Rands (ZAR)