Neu Get To Know… The Belair Lip Bombs
Bittersweet anthems of the indie-rock persuasion.
Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.
Those in the know will have jumped on the bandwagon two years ago, when their debut album dropped, but 2025 has truly been the year that things really kicked up a notch for The Belair Lip Bombs - the Aussie quartet whose latest effort, ‘Again’, has marked them out as hot prospects both on home turf and beyond. Signed to Jack White’s cult label Third Man Records, they craft sentiment-soaked instant earworms that beg to be listened to loudly, windows down, or screamed along to, pints and arms aloft. In the midst of their busy tour schedule, we caught up with vocalist Maisie Everett to reflect on their whirlwind year…
If The Belair Lip Bombs was a TV ad, what would your tagline be?
Tick tick boom.
Obviously, Australia is geographically a little further afield than most - in your experience, how does that affect its local scenes? Does it mean creative communities are closer-knit, or more outward-looking?
The scenes are all quite close knit, but it’s harder for bands to break out globally because of the distance. Even playing interstate for the first time as a band from Melbourne is a huge deal. The shortest drive to another state is eight hours - so that definitely makes a difference. Any band doing well from this part of the world is working very hard.
You first formed eight years ago and released your debut ‘Lush Life’ in 2023, but ‘Again’’s arrival seems to have marked a bit of a breakthrough moment. How do you feel the band has evolved in that time? Are there any main lessons you’ve learned or pearls of wisdom you’ve gained since you started out?
Having put out ‘Lush Life’, which was our first proper album release, I think we found ourselves listening back thinking: “hmm, maybe we could’ve done this thing better” - which is something a lot of musicians do with the benefit of hindsight. For ‘Again’, we focused on making it as polished as we could - really putting a microscope under all the guitar sounds, vocals, drums etc.
“Any band doing well from this part of the world is working very hard.”
You’ve self-described The Belair Lip Bombs’ sound as “yearn-core”; what does this mean to you, and what is it about ‘Again’ that you think inspires these sorts of emotions in listeners/audiences?
We said yearn core as a tongue-in-cheek thing which seems to have taken on momentum unintentionally… I think our music just has this sense of sweetness and fun, but also an underlying sense of yearning, I guess. A bittersweetness!
What are your worst musical habits?
Losing guitar picks.
This year has seen you complete your first ever North American tour, and you’re currently in the midst of an EU/UK run too! What have been a) the most surprising, b) the funniest, and c) the most challenging things about playing foreign shows?
a. People on the other side of the world singing along to week old songs.
b. Bonding amongst ourselves, making new inside jokes on the road.
c. Trying to win over a crowd that doesn’t know you, which mostly applies to when we’re supporting another band.
Finally, DIY is coming round for dinner - what are you making?
A big bowl of spaghetti, because it’s easy and feeds you for a week.
‘Again’ is out now via Third Man Records.
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