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.

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."

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.