Review of Delivery Service debut EP 'five songs'
- Elizabeth Guest
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Elizabeth Guest reviews Dublin's Delivery Service debut vinyl EP five songs and finds much to like in their female-focused soundscapes that are loaded with both desire and dejection.
The ability to toe the line between swaggering and sincere is a feat that can take bands years, with some not quite ever achieving the balance. However, with the release of their debut EP, five songs, Dublin-based quartet Delivery Service have managed to do just that. A sonic tapestry that weaves grunge’s aggression with sugary harmonies, five songs harnesses 90s-esque artistry into a fresh, modern delivery.
Consisting of bassist and vocalist Becca Daly, guitarist and vocalist Ashley Abbedeen, keyboardist and guitarist Ciara O’Neill and drummer Niall Thornton, Delivery Service have a collaborative DIY approach at their core, with the ultimate aim of writing and performing for fun. This, when combined with songs that capture the tribulations of the female psyche, culminates in soundscapes that are loaded with both desire and dejection.
The guitars gritty, the vocals sweet and the lyrics languid but simultaneously emotive, Delivery Service have refashioned the quintessential 90s attitude into something more modern, but ever moreish.
Such a feat is immediately evidenced by the EP’s opener, Truancy. Released as the band’s second single, the track sees the building of layers of velvet vocals, retaining an almost eerie but evangelical quality. Ultimately aligning with driving guitars and tart synths, Truancy immediately demonstrates the band’s command over contrasting volume dynamics. Right from the record’s opening notes, Delivery Service establish an unwavering, Kim Deal-like cool.
Similarly, Don’t Get It, with its deep ticking bassline and whispered harmonies and layered with grunge-laced guitar, crafts a sound that pricks up any nostalgist’s ears, whilst still providing a contemporary freshness. Lyrically, the track bristles with deep heartbreak, chronicling the pain of a former partner having a new lover - the line of “I left your shoes in your house / I wonder if they’ll fit her feet like mine” packing perhaps this year’s most poignant lyrical punch.
Truancy immediately demonstrates the band’s command over contrasting volume dynamics. Right from the record’s opening notes, Delivery Service establish an unwavering, Kim Deal-like cool.
Proceeding is the wonderfully contrasting First Kiss. Husky declarations of “I don’t want to be your mother / I don’t want to do the labour” sit atop quaint keyboard notes and charming percussive beats, before cleverly veering into a Le Tigre-like chant. The track’s mid section is a frank moment of rage, an audible expulsion of frustration towards a lover’s behaviour, before feminine ideals of softness and politeness are promptly resumed. The song smiles, but with gritted teeth.
However, Delivery Service’s teeth become all the more bared in the swinging Bloodsucker. Deep guitar chords and a swinging chorus of “bloodsucker, frontrunner / mother fucker yeah we’re going under” contribute to a dangerous but nostalgic warmth. The song’s inherent melody is never lost, even when the guitars and drums reach a calamitous crescendo, proving that the band do in fact possess both bark and bite.
Yet, the EP’s pinnacle comes in the form of the seductive Ghost. First released as the band’s debut single in March 2025, the track delightfully balances catchy hooks and ardent, tongue in cheek lyricism, culminating in a slinky earworm. A masterful release that bottles the 90s musical zeitgeist, Ghost is evidence that from their incarnation, Delivery Service possessed a creative remarkability.
With five songs, Delivery Service have crafted one of the best grunge outputs not to come from the 90s itself. The guitars gritty, the vocals sweet and the lyrics languid but simultaneously emotive, Delivery Service have refashioned the quintessential 90s attitude into something more modern, but ever moreish.
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