Photo Credit: Bridie Fizgerald
“Indie rock made to hit right in the pleasure center, built from a sturdy record collection but also possessed of a breeziness that belies any clenched study.” — Pitchfork
Australia’s The Belair Lip Bombs announce their new album, Again, out October 31st via Third Man Records (the first Australian release on the label), and share its lead single, “Hey You.” Again is the follow-up to their 2023 debut, Lush Life, a “punchy, hook-laden rock record…straightforward in sound but borderline unassailable in its construction” (The Guardian). Again marks a new chapter for Australia’s best-kept secret, who have been building a loyal local following since they first formed eight years ago with their earnestness and ultra-sticky power-pop song structures. Again is endlessly listenable and winkingly symbolizes the band’s reintroduction to a global audience.
The Belair Lips Bombs is made up of Maisie Everett, Mike Bradvica, Jimmy Droughton, and Daniel "Dev" Devlin, who first formed the band in a Melbourne suburb, Frankston’s DIY venue Singing Bird Studio. Upon graduating from high school, they juggled band life with day jobs, working to define a sound inspired by classic rock pillars like the Rolling Stones and Television as well as indie stalwarts like the War On Drugs and Stephen Malkmus. They spent the first years as a band opening for Australian favorites like Ladyhawke, Spacey Jane, Slowly Slowly, and Tired Lion before releasing their more grunge-inspired self-titled debut EP in 2018 and then the poppier three-track follow-up, Songs to Do Your Laundry To (2019).
As the next decade rolled in, the Belair Lip Bombs fine-tuned their “limerence-rock” (as Maisie puts it) aesthetic across impassioned and snappy singles. In mapping out what would become Again, the band merged their individual influences more than ever to craft a no-skips collection of indie-rock anthems. It gives the group’s DIY indie-rock style a fresh coat of polish across 10 rollicking new tracks. Again was produced by the band, Nao Anzai (The Teskey Brothers), and Joe White (Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever), marking the first time the Belair Lip Bombs worked with a producer,
Maisie, who was born in Scotland and moved to Australia at 3 years old, tends to fall back into an early love of vocal behemoths, Queen when she writes the band’s prominent melodies and harmonies, as on today’s single, “Hey You.” The song is a jubilant melody built from a looping synth that’s bound to inspire listeners to leap up and dance it out. “Having a synth loop driving a whole song is something that we've never done before,” Maisie says. Dev adds: “We kind of leaned into that and pushed to make the scope of the song bigger than some of the other songs in the album.” The accompanying video was directed by Angus Fielder.
The Belair Lip Bombs pull you in immediately with their self-coined “yearn-core” combination of quick-footed rhythms, warm and fuzzy guitar melodies, and Maisie’s cathartic vocals. As they move into an exciting new era of their careers, their unshakable friendship, wide-open hearts, and knack for foot-tapping melodies will no doubt endear them to legions of fans in search of musical transcendence.
Next month, The Belair Lip Bombs embark on their first ever North American tour with Spacey Jane, with many dates already sold out. Following, they’ll play headline shows across Europe. A full list can be found below and all tickets are on sale now.
Again Tracklist
1. Again and Again
2. Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)
3. Another World
4. Cinema
5. Back Of My Hand
6. Hey You
7. If You’ve Got The Time
8. Smiling
9. Burning Up
10. Price Of A Man
The Belair Lip Bombs Tour Dates
Thu. Aug. 21 - Northvote, AU @ Northcote Social Club - SOLD OUT
Sat. Aug. 30 - Moore Park, AU @ Liberty Hall
Wed. Sept. 3 - Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre *
Thu. Sept. 4 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville *
Fri. Sept. 5 - Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Festival
Sat. Sept. 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore *
Sun. Sept. 7 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club * - SOLD OUT
Tue. Sept. 9 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
Wed. Sept. 10 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
Thu. Sept. 11 - New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * - SOLD OUT
Fri. Sept. 12 - New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
Sun. Sept. 14 - Montreal, QC @ Le Studio TD * - SOLD OUT
Mon. Sept. 15 - Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall * - SOLD OUT
Wed. Sept. 17 - Chicago, IL @ Metro * - SOLD OUT
Thu. Sept. 18 - Chicago, IL @ Metro *
Fri. Sept. 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
Sun. Sept. 21 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater *
Tue. Sept. 23 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex *
Thu. Sept. 25 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox *
Fri. Sept. 26 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom * - SOLD OUT
Sat. Sept. 27 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
Mon. Sept. 29 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
Tue. Sept. 30 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre * - SOLD OUT
Wed. Oct. 1 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre *
Thu. Oct. 2 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto Theatre *
Wed. Oct. 8 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall *
Sat. Nov. 8 - Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar
Mon. Nov. 10 - Berlin, DE @ Maschinehaus
Tue. Nov. 11 - Utrecht, NL @ Ekko
Wed. Nov. 12 - Ghent, BE @ Charlatan
Thu. Nov. 13 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
Mon. Nov. 17 - San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
Tue. Nov. 18 - Madrid, ES @ El Sótano
Wed. Nov. 19 - Barcelona, ES @ Laut
Fri. Nov. 21 - Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
Mon. Nov. 24 - Brighton, UK @ Volks
Tue. Nov. 25 - Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
Wed. Nov. 26 - Bristol, UK @ Exchange
Fri. Nov. 28 - London, UK @ Scala
Sat. Nov. 29 - Manchester, UK @ YES
Sun. Nov. 30 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Mon. Dec. 1 - Dublin, IE @ The Grand Social
