"A combination of things," have kept the British garage rock trio Little Barrie laying low for the past nearly five years, according to guitarist-singer Barrie Cadogan.

Cadogan, in fact, is particularly guilty. Since 2006's "Stand Your Ground" he continued to build his resume as a sideman, particularly with the band Primal Scream. There were also issues with getting time in the group's favorite studio, while personnel change brought drummer Virgil Howe, son of Yes guitarist Steve Howe, into the fold.

But Cadogan says the time away was well spent, as Little Barrie was able to road test the material it was working on for its new album, "King of the Waves."

"When we did ('Stand Your Ground'), we hadn't played any of the songs live," Cadogan, 36, explains. "This time we definitely wanted to capture more of the energy and spirit the band has live. We wanted to make it more explosive. So it was great to be able to play them. We knew if things needed tweaking or what excited us.

"Definitely having that time made a difference."

But, Cadogan adds, the trio has already started working up "ideas and things" for its fourth album and plans to keep its next interim much shorter.

"In March we're going to try to spend some time writing," he says. "It'll be nice to try and spend a bit of time working on new material. I think we'd like to increase the output a little. We don't want to be like (Guns N' Roses' long-delayed 'Chinese Democracy,' sty'know?"

Little Barrie and Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires perform Sunday, Feb. 12, at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18. Call 248-544-3030 or visit www.themagicbag.com.