The World Is Not Ready for The Belair Lip Bombs
Hailing in over from Victoria, The Belair Lip Bombs are one of Australia’s most talked about young indie rock acts. Hot off the heels of their sophomore album Again, we chat to drummer Daniel Devlin about influences, standout supports and their upcoming Aus tour.
Interview Millah Hansberry // Photo supplied
It’s a list of accolades like the one Frankston’s The Belair Lip Bombs possess that young doe-eyed acts wish upon shooting stars for. And it’s not every day that a bunch of Australian 20-somethings catch the eye of the White Stripes’ Jack White. But alas, The Belair Lip Bombs strut down this road of acclaim quite comfortably, and we must say, they do it with style. Though it was their 2023 sonically sparkling debut album Lush Life that landed the much-deserved spotlight on the four-piece, it’s their 2025 sophomore release Again that has left such a sweet taste on our palate.
Congrats on your latest album venture with your sophomore LP Again, released in October last year! What does this record mean to you all?
I feel like it’s all still sinking in, but I think the resounding feeling is proud. We made the record between working day jobs and touring a bunch, so we feel like it’s a testament of our hard work and commitment to the band. It’s been super rewarding playing the new songs to different audiences and feeling a warm reception.
You’ve had ample time on the road touring it, with your debut EU/UK headline album tour in November last year. How has it felt to perform it live, and how stoked are you to bring it to Australia?
Performing the new songs has been great, it’s nice adding new material to the setlist after touring Lush Life for so long. Seeing the reception to the new songs at Laneway has been amazing, so we’re definitely looking forward to our headline shows.
There’s a real exciting mix of indie pop and scrappier garage rock feel across the record. What were you listening to while making Again, and did any of this influence the record?
Again came from a melting pot of influences, but there was definitely an overlap of music we were all enjoying while working on the record. Early Kings of Leon records definitely inspired the rockier tracks. More recent records like Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman and Waxahatchee’s Tiger Blood were also on high rotation. We also love a lot of the 2010’s indie bands from the UK like Bombay Bicycle Club. I’m not sure how much of the album sounds like any of those bands but they were definitely reference points.
Again was your first album released with Jack White’s Third Man Records, a record label you signed to last year as the first Aussie band to do so. What was it like signing to this label and releasing the record through it?
Signing with Third Man has been such a great experience for the growth of the band. They are all such lovely people and it was obvious that they were big fans of our music before we signed. It makes such a difference having a team of people working on a release who care equally about the music and how it’s distributed, so we feel lucky!
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What does the title Again tell us about the album?
I don’t know if it’s reflective of any overarching album theme, but it felt like an obvious title when we were looking through Maisie’s lyrics. It just stood out, I guess.
You’ve supported some mega acts over the past few years and performed at some huge festivals. What acts were standouts for you to share a space with?
Supporting the Pixies in Melbourne and Sydney was a big highlight. They are so inspiring.
The Belair Lip Bombs just performed your first triple j Like A Version, congrats! You chose The 1975’s ‘Happiness’ to cover. What about this song made it the right choice, and what did you want to bring to it that wasn’t already there?
The 1975 have played a big part in Maisie’s musical journey, so it felt like a bit of a full circle moment covering them for Like A Version. We had a few ideas floating around, but ultimately, we had to pick a song that worked really well for Maisie’s voice, so it ended up being an easy choice. We had a lot of fun working on it, transcribing the saxophone solo to guitar, trying some different synth pads/tracked elements too. It was a fun challenge for us.
You’re heading out on your first US headline tour with Dust in March, after your US tour with Spacey Jane last year. How are you anticipating the shows to be, now taking to the US on your own terms?
We feel like the music translated really well on our first support tour with Spacey Jane. It’s definitely given us confidence going into our first US headline tour, and I think going over with our friends Dust will make the whole tour a lot less daunting. It’s such a big effort to get to America as a band from Australia, so we don’t take the opportunity for granted.
Your Australian Again tour kicks off in February, just after your Laneway festival tour. How much of the album can audiences expect to hear after hearing your tight ‘greatest hits’ festival sets?
The plan is to play the whole album, and try and weave in as much older material as we can too. They will be the longest sets we’ve done, and we can’t wait.
On March 13, Adelaide gets aBelair Lip Bombs visit at Lion Arts Factory. Victoria’s Cool Sounds and Adelaide’s Perfect 50 were tapped to support. What made them the perfect fit?
The Adelaide scene is insane. I feel like we could have picked literally any band, and it would have improved the lineup dramatically. Perfect 50 have such a unique sound that we all really connect with. We feel that way about all the supports on the tour – super lucky!
Catch The Belair Lip Bombs performing at Lion Arts Factory on Friday 13 March. Tickets on sale now at moshtix.com.au.
