The Perlich Post: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Russell Simins' band SERVICE previews debut album with clowny "Hey" video

The video for "Hey" off the Drag Me debut by Russell Simins' band SERVICE was shot by filmmaker Steve Hanft. Watch it below.

Here's the scoop...

The SERVICE song "Hey" is about feeling out of step in a world that prioritizes “likes” and “follows” over in-person interaction and real intimacy. Most people are engaging only in a performative way and mostly via social media, as opposed to experiencing soul-to-soul, real life exchanges of art, philosophy, and creative ideas. We often feel left behind and alienated in this climate, but are proud of maintaining our integrity and commitment to our own vision. We never want to make this kind of complaint without doing it in a self-deprecating and humorous manner. (For example, Jilly sings, “In an age of affection, I’m the mailman.”) This high energy song with a big beat, chaotic guitar, and hooky chorus makes this kind of insecure confession into a damn fun rock and roll song.

SERVICE is an urgent, howling, earnest rock and roll band, steadily cementing their reputation as a great live act, ahead of releasing their debut album, Drag Me (out Friday May 6 via Let's Pretend Records). Started in the Manhattan apartment of renowned drummer Russell Simins, SERVICE now lives in Indianapolis, home of the other two core members, Jilly Weiss (We Are Hex) and Mitch Geisinger. The band sums up their sound with the quip, “post-punk then punk again,” which reflects their smart, self-deprecating lyrics as much as the music.

Jilly is an iconic front person with the boastful confidence of Nick Cave or Mark E. Smith, combined with the sort of confessional sincerity of PJ Harvey. Mitch’s wild guitar manipulations recount the Birthday Party and Butthole Surfers with an array of effects the Liars would admire. At the helm from behind the kit is Russell Simins, best known best for his tenure in NYC staple rock outfit, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Simins’ uniquely hard-driving, powerful beats give SERVICE their huge sound.

The album is very much a guitar record, a two-guitar assault really, but the hard-grooving beats keep it almost danceably post-punk. Drag Me is certainly unorthodox, but has choruses that will have you yelling along - an audacious, swaggering rock and roll record that is about to put SERVICE on the map.

You can pre-order the new SERVICE album Drag Me on limited-edition black vinyl from Bloomington's Let's Pretend Records right here. Watch video for "Hey" directed by filmmaker Steve Hanft (Southlander, Return Of the Rub-a-Dub Style, Beck's "Loser") followed by a SERVICE performance of "Who Are You Anyway?"