In a hotel room in America's Pacific Northwest, The Belair Lip Bombs have a day off. It's their first time touring the States, supporting fellow Aussies Spacey Jane as they embark on what's pretty much a 49-state tour of the USA (sorry, Hawaii). It's good practice for their inevitable stardom after they drop their soaring second record, 'Again', due for release on Halloween.

There's nothing spooky about the record, though, shifting out of the darker world of ominous, rumbling shoegaze and into the light via jangly guitar riffs and slacker-pop vibes, but still with enough catharsis to show that the Lip Bombs' claws are just as sharp and ready for war.

"We definitely wanted it to be a bit more polished sounding," vocalist Maisie Everett explains, "but not so polished that it became a pop record; I think we just wanted it to be a bit hookier."

Drummer Daniel "Dev" Devlin agrees: "I think the album is a bit less moody than the last one. We wanted to make an album that drew from classic songs from various different eras, so there's some mid-00s indie stuff alongside classic rock from the 60s and 70s."

"We didn't want to make an album that sounded like Steely Dan or Fleetwood Mac," bassist Jimmy Droughton adds, "it was about dialling things in with intention and giving each song its own identity so that we could paint the picture we want."

All of these references permeate across the 10 tracks that make up 'Again', pushing and pulling at different moments to create a record that feels timeless and tied together, avoiding the potential confusion that comes from bringing influences together that span over sixty years of music. For example, Maisie grew up listening to classic power bands such as Queen and the Rolling Stones, while guitarist Mike Bradvica is sporting merch from hardcore punk band Speed, just to give you an idea of the breadth of music that needed to be amalgamated.

"Maisie is really good at compartmentalising all of our different ideas and turning them into a song," Dev notes. "We all have our own music tastes and our own ideas to bring to the table, but Maisie curates it so that everything sounds coherent. It would be a bit cooked if we were all throwing random songs at the project."

Maisie nods: "We've been playing as a band for 8 years now – although Dev only joined us 18 months ago – so I think we're all very in tune with each other's styles."

Each band member still plays their part in the project, though, with the Lip Bombs being very much a labour of love across all four band members. Unsurprising, given the band has been through a bit of a rocky time since the release of their debut album 'Lush Life' in 2023.

"We all know each other's strengths," Jimmy spells out. "Like if we've got a blank space in a verse, we know that Mike will take some clunky guitar lead line and polish it into something great. We all know when to speak up or put the focus on ourselves, but we're also happy to support each other in whatever they wanna try."

When it came to making this second record, Maisie explains, "the first breath of this album really came when Dev joined the band at the start of last year. Our former drummer left after we played SXSW, but I think having a new band member gave us newfound excitement, so we were keen to just start writing new music right away."

The band's 2023 debut may not have reached millions, but it certainly garnered what you could call a cult following. Fuzzy, menacing, and more than a bit grungy, 'Lush Life' swirled and pulsated through a college-rock palette that ultimately brought them to the attention of Jack White's Third Man Records. Re-issuing the album so that it reached a global audience gave the band the opportunity to tour around Europe and, ultimately, gave them a home for this new record.

The first record with this new, settled lineup, 'Again' feels like less of a marauding step forward into a cleaner, more polished sound, and more of a second debut that allows them to properly introduce themselves to fans outside of their native Australia.

"I guess I can't speak to what it was like the first time around, but this definitely feels like an international debut," Dev says. "It's the first BLB album released in multiple countries, which is nerve-wracking because we know more people are going to hear it and review it, which we're not used to – but we're curious to hear the feedback and see what people think about it."

Whether it's in the chilled-out surf-rock of 'Cinema', the angst-driven indie-rock of 'Hey You', or the huge classic rock chorus of opener 'Again and Again', The Belair Lip Bombs turn thick guitar lines, supremely nonchalant vocals, and metronomic drums into an album that dares to drive the band into a stratospheric new era. Full of newfound confidence in their ability and showing that in their bolshy new sonic attitude, they're ready to properly let the world know exactly who The Belair Lip Bombs are.

"Too many bands all love one band, so they just end up ripping them off," Mike says. "So with the broad music taste we have across the band, it means we can make something new and get so many random comparisons instead of people saying, 'Oh ok you're trying to be like this band' over and over."

Dev adds, "We're not saying that we've made the most unique thing ever, but it just removes the direct comparisons."

A band at the relative start of their career, they're not taking any chances. Throwing everything they have at making music, alongside full-time jobs and trying to maintain some sort of social life, 'Again' was made in a whirlwind of tour shows, work rotas, and stolen moments used to write and record.

"There was a lot of touring in amongst trying to write the record," Dev recalls. "We played a lot around Australia, then came over to the UK for The Great Escape, before more shows in Australia and then coming back again for UK shows. We all have jobs too, so it was hard to find the time to record, and there was definitely pressure because of deadlines and making sure we could play all the shows we'd committed to."

Jimmy nods: "We didn't do the classic thing where you don't hear from a band for a year and it's obvious they've been away making a record. We recorded everything live, so we were really rehearsed and had the chemistry already from playing so many shows. We did the album in the same way we made the previous one, so it was nice to be able to rely on the process and play songs on tour while we were recording it, so we could see what worked."

Clearly, their hectic schedule worked wonders, aided by the label support that provided them with producers for the first time in their career, namely Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's Joe White and debut album recorder Nao Anzai. Providing a fresh perspective on the band's ideas, they helped to rejuvenate songs that might have otherwise remained unfinished on a hard drive.

"Rolling Blackouts are one of our favourite bands, there are definitely elements on the first album that are inspired by them," Maisie smiles, "so it was pretty nerve-wracking having Joe involved at first! But I think working with him was a revelation. He was really helpful when it came to expanding tones and sounds, which we didn't pay too much time to on our first record, and was good at making us feel confident in our ideas."

"Yeah," Jimmy continues, "I think he also helped us to fine-tune the structures of songs and the tiny little parts we were unsure about. Sometimes we'd hit the wall with a song, and having a third-party perspective was really beneficial. You'd develop quite a negative relationship with certain tunes, but Joe was able to take them to another mood or add another section, or even just reassure us that we were on the right track. He helped to steer the boat in the right direction and bring a positive voice."

Trying to find the energy to keep working on tracks that seem to refuse to play ball is made all the harder by the band's aforementioned full-time jobs. Going into this latest album cycle, one which opens up the world for The Belair Lip Bombs to conquer, it's their determination to get away from the 9-to-5 that's rocketing them forward.

"It definitely helps with the drive to put more effort into the music," Mike candidly states, "because I'd love to at least go part-time!"

Jimmy concurs, "Obviously, you have to support yourself and pay your rent and stuff, but we can't do the band by half or there's no point. We've made sacrifices in our personal lives to get to this stage, but we're all so keen to make this work that there's no real reason to do it by half. It's a privilege to get to go overseas and make albums, so we're determined to make it."

This steely-eyed bloody-mindedness stands the band in good stead to break into the global scene, supported by a sophomore record that stands head and shoulders above their debut in terms of confidence, clarity, and cohesion. Now, the band just have to deal with the anticipation.

"It's definitely a nervous excitement," Maisie considers, "knowing that we're putting out an album that people are waiting for and knowing it'll be listened to is definitely a different feeling. I want to be a band that people are really into, not just one that people listen to casually. We want to be people's favourite band."

Embarking on this new chapter as a band with label backing and an exhilarating chance to become a truly world-renowned act, it would be easy to cave to pressure and lose your identity. Jimmy, though, is strong-willed in the face of the big, wide world.

"It's a privilege in itself to be able to say that this is our job, we're very grateful to have even got this far, but I would hate for us to be directed in a really strong way and lose creative control. Our aspiration is to always play the parts we want to play and write the music we want to write, no matter what."

As 'Again' hits the shelves (or, more accurately, the streaming services), The Belair Lip Bombs are on the brink of a world-altering moment for the four band members. They're ready for it, are you?

Taken from the November 2025 issue of Dork. The Belair Lip Bombs' album 'Again' is out 31st October.