For some time, the Belair Lip Bombs were just a Frankston band – comprising friends Maisie Everett, Mike Bradvica, Jimmy Droughton, and Daniel “Dev” Devlin – who formed in that beachside Melbourne suburb, trying to pierce the city’s larger scene while juggling day jobs.

It’s an all-true tale of a local, scrappy indie rock band putting in the work with the hopes of breakout success. Support spots for their local peers gradually became opening slots for the country’s stalwarts such as Ladyhawke, Spacey Jane, and Slowly Slowly, gigs in America and Europe, and landing the first Australian album on Third Man Records.

The truth is, the Belair Lip Bombs are far from scrappy, having their irresistible power pop chops from the get-go. While their catalogue dates back to 2018, the world first properly set its eyes on the quartet with their 2023 debut album Lush Life. It coolly explored escapism, romance, and yearning, revealing the band’s musical playbook with nods to Television, the Breeders, and the Strokes. Bradvica’s spirited guitar riffs weave around Droughton’s bouncy basslines, Devlin maintains the momentum with unwavering percussion, and Everett’s soaring voice is the cherry on top, rounding out the band’s songs.

With such a snappy sound, anyone with an ear for hooky indie rock would want to listen to them again and again – Everett sings so on the thrilling opener, the sprightly fiddle throughout making that prospect all the more enticing. This establishes their vision for Again: Not only a tongue-in-cheek reintroduction of the band to the world, but a set of infectious songs showcasing their love of jamming together. There’s no shortage of earwormy musical flourishes: the propulsive “Another World” jumps out with sharp guitar stabs; “Cinema” takes a page from the classic rock book with persistent piano keys and coiling riffage; and “Hey You” is driven by a synth loop pushing the band to build on their instruments to lift any crowd at the chorus.

This time, Everett shares her contemplative musings with a more energetic swagger than the slight dejection she adopted on Lush Life – perhaps Again’s colourful artwork implies a newfound confidence. The complex yet relatable lyricism surely attests to that. The uptempo “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)” details the urge to keep doing what you love and not be discouraged by others telling you to do otherwise: “They’re looking down upon me / A metaphorical illusion of a mezzanine scene / But don’t you quit that thing.” The swaying “Back of My Hand” imitates Pixies-esque loud-quiet peaks and troughs to convey a wavering but strong, romantic connection: “Even when we’re fighting / All I really want is you.”

The snappy riff in “If You’ve Got the Time” may be the album’s simplest, but the story of a back-and-forth relationship adds a nervous character to the otherwise straightforward song: “Why should I change / If you had the time / Then maybe I’d stay.” Poignant Matchbox Twenty and Third Eye Blind-inspired balladry is reserved for the fuzzy, piano-heavy “Burning Up”, with words on dissolving a relationship knowing that moving on separated is best for both parties: “I know I said that I’d love you forever / But you know that I’ve changed / You and I, we were made for each other / But we gotta blow out the flame.”

The Belair Lip Bombs may draw upon rock convention, namely the navigation of fleeting love and self-discovery in the language of emotional electric guitars, but they capture it so earnestly. Considering they consciously take it further on this new record, their comfort is so worth listening to. No longer a hidden gem deep in the pockets of Melbourne, Again shows the Belair Lip Bombs are geared for stardom, ready to reflect positively with their biggest audiences yet.

Order Again by The Belair Lip Bombs HERE