Rated S is what happens when three troublemakers decide to be delightful on purpose. A sexually charged rock/pop supergroup whose S stands for Sexual, they traffic in innuendo and double entendres like magicians with a deck of marked cards—dirty and suggestive without crossing the obvious lines, light and fun until they decide to aim for the heart. The lineup reads like a label fantasy draft: Smithers (Houston, TX) out front with a voice that can purr or preach; Chastity Glasscock (Climax, GA) on guitar and harmonies, honey-drip tone with a steel spine; and Yellowthroat (Koper, Slovenia → Chicago/Indy) on decks, production, and the occasional oddball instrument, stitching the whole thing together with grin-inducing precision. They built this band to have fun, spend time together, and fly a united freak flag—and you can hear that joy in every bar.

The Origin
Rated S started as a joke that wouldn’t stop being a good idea. After a few late-night sessions trading hooks and punchlines, the trio noticed the songs were doing something honest: capturing desire, regret, and those vivid snapshots of intimacy that make you feel alive when you remember them. If Fire Arrow Records ever had a supergroup, this is it—one part playful mischief, one part grown-up romance, and one part “don’t think too hard, just move.” The influences telegraph the mission: “Weird” Al Yankovic for the gleeful wordplay, Prince for the fearless sensuality and groove science, and The Rolling Stones for the swagger you forgot was that filthy. Run it back if you don’t believe it.

The Sound
Call it lust-pop with rock teeth. Drums hit like a wink—you feel the pocket before you identify it. Guitars strut in satin, alternating between tight funk chanks and overdriven smirks. Bass lines are suggestive without being obvious; synths and samples add the confetti and candlelight. Smithers sings like he’s got a secret and he’s exactly the kind of person who will tell it if you ask twice. Chastity’s harmonies pour sugar on top and then cut the sweetness with a lemon twist; her guitar hooks are the thing you remember when the chorus leaves. Yellowthroat’s production is the velvet rope: clean, punchy, and engineered to make euphemism feel like electricity. Every arrangement has a nudge and a payoff—tease, release, repeat.

Themes and Writing
Rated S writes like adults with a sense of humor and a good memory. Desire is the engine, sure—but so is regret, and so is the nostalgia for nights that got under your skin in ways you’re still grateful for. The wordplay is the fun of it: lines you can quote with a raised eyebrow, metaphors that don’t break when you look at them, and turns that land as jokes on first listen and truths on third. They’re experts at suggestion: the outline, the silhouette, the implication that lets the listener fill in the rest. It’s flirting as a songwriting philosophy.