The Senior Service – A Little More Time With The Senior Service

The periods of lockdown that have unfortunately punctuated the last few years of our lives have given many time to reflect, this might be what happened to The Senior Service, and led to the addition of vocals to their established sound, a bold move for a band who have made their name through their instrumental recordings. According to the press release the idea was borne, as many of the best ideas often are, over the course of an intoxicated evening, one that led to them approaching local songwriter and vocalist Rachel Lowrie to appear as guest vocalist on the material that would eventually become their new mini album, A Little More Time with The Senior Service.

The Senior Service’s last release, King Cobra, saw the band perfect their soundtrack, one that could grace any self respecting 60’s spy movie, however, the addition of vocals brings a new dimension to the soundtrack. Whilst we’re still firmly in a 60’s lounge, the addition of Rachel Lowrie‘s sublime vocals sees them promoted from soundtrack to theme with opener Everyone’s Stranger Than Me, a wall of sound epic that captures a period of our musical past perfectly. A Little More Time with The Senior Service is a mini album of moody dramatic authentic 60’s pop that’s tinged with elements of the garage and surf rock of that era. Unlike the majority of bands who take inspiration from a bygone era there is no intention of updating the sound, this is embedded firmly and proudly in the past.

The majority of the songs stay in the classic 60’s pop mould, but my personal highlight is If You’re Not There, a track that boasts some vicious fuzzed out reverb in this swirling 60’s garage rocker. The Senior Service resist the urge to try and update the sound, A Little More Time With The Senior Service stays true to the source and the era. In a nutshell this is four John Barry-esque compositions with a haunting sixties vocal punctuated by two lounge instrumentals. A Little More Time with The Senior Service is a direct line to the past and about as retro as you can get, but it’s a trip worth taking.

A Little More Time with The Senior Service will be released on the 18th February and can be pre-ordered via Damaged Goods Records