After turning heads locally in 2023 with their excellent debut album ‘Lush Life’, Melbourne band The Belair Lip Bombs made international headlines last year when they were announced as the newest signees to Jack White’s Third Man Records – in turn, making them the very first Australian act to join the label. It’s a big mantle to step up to, but it feels like a task the four-piece are equipped for – after all, it’s the drive and confidence that was present on ‘Lush Life’ that got them the gig in the first place.
The band’s second album ‘Again’, despite its title, is not a once-more go-around of ‘Lush Life’. Instead, it looks at that LP’s already-versatile nature and maps out new terrain for the ambitious indie rockers to explore. Such boldness is present in lead single ‘Hey You’, which buzzes with urgency due to its hypnotic Rhodes loop and the pounding, persistent drumming of new drummer Daniel Devlin (formerly of Delivery). It, paired with the satisfying rock-out finale of ‘Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)’, showcases the band in full flight – reminding listeners that the Lip Bombs are a rock band first, indie band second.
Despite the aforementioned line-up change between ‘Lush Life’ and now, the band feel more sure of themselves from a musical standpoint. Lead guitarist Michael Bradvica, in particular, is an assertive presence throughout. His Nile Rodgers-style “chucking” on ‘Cinema’ gives the track both groove and depth, while his deft playing on the vulnerable, emotive ‘Smiling’ almost creates a dialogue of sorts between himself and vocalist Maisie Everett with transfixing results.
For her part, Everett has continued to develop her heartfelt vocal delivery on ‘Again’, making especially strong use of it in the album’s quieter, more pensive moments. Piano ballad ‘Burning Up’ might be the biggest sonic departure of the band’s young career thus far, and certainly feels like a considerable risk even when they’ve already established an eclecticism within their sound. For those that don’t talk over the quiet songs, however, a remarkable new side to the band can be found blossoming and blooming over the song’s four-minute runtime.
Rummaging through the wreckage of a relationship, Everett devastatingly assesses herself as “a prick in your thumb” and her former flame “a bruise in [her] lung”. “We were made for each other,” she sighs, “but we gotta blow out the flame.” With the churning guitars and swinging drumsticks traded in for E-bows and jazz brushes, the band aim for the heartstrings and don’t miss.
At an already exciting time for Australian music as a cultural export – from the rise of punk and hardcore acts like Amyl & The Sniffers and Speed, to the continuing arena dominance of Tame Impala and Rüfüs Du Sol – there’s unquestionably a space for The Belair Lip Bombs to thrive globally. ‘Again’, to paraphrase U2, feels like them auditioning to be the biggest band in the world.
