The Australian indie scene has long perfected the art of masking malaise behind sun-drenched, jangly guitar pop, and Melbourne’s The Belair Lip Bombs deliver a textbook example with their punchy second album, Again.
Over ten tracks and a tightly wound 34 minutes, the quartet establishes a vibrant sound that feels instantly familiar and relentlessly infectious. Yet, peeling back the layers of fuzz and driving rhythm reveals a surprising emotional core: a raw, honest chronicle of a relationship’s bitter end.
This central tension is the record’s greatest strength. The musical momentum is almost relentless; tracks are built on sprightly guitar riffs and a rhythm section that sounds perpetually on the move. This is evident on the first three tracks, “Again and Again”, “Don’t Let Them Tell You (Its Fair)” and “Another World”. It’s an album designed for driving fast with the windows down, even if you’re driving away from someone. The band’s knack for writing hooks that feel both immediate and slightly melancholy is what keeps the short runtime from feeling sparse; every track is a concentrated burst of garage-pop energy polished to a dazzling shine.
This energetic pace, however, makes the album’s emotional centrepiece, “Burning Up”, hit with surprising force. Nestled quietly near the end of the album, the song serves as the record’s sole, beautiful ballad. Stripping away the distortion and drums, the track is led by a sombre, delicate piano line that allows the lyrical pain – a moment of true, unmasked vulnerability – to finally breathe. It’s a beautifully executed tonal shift, proving The Belair Lip Bombs are equally effective when they drop the rock facade and focus on pure, heartbreaking introspection.
The contrast makes the first single and album highlight, “Hey You”, land with even greater impact. It begins with a deceptively simple, bouncy riff and pulsating drums, before exploding into a chorus that embodies the album’s overall ethos. Lyrically, it’s a desperate, late-night plea fuelled by a cocktail of anger and lingering hope, yet the delivery is pure, unadulterated catharsis. It transforms the messy process of confronting a breakup into a dizzying, foot-stomping moment. It’s a track that deserves to be in many top 10s of 2025!
Elsewhere, songs explore the denial and eventual acceptance that follows a split, trading in universal, relatable specifics. The production throughout is crisp but maintains a welcome edge of grit, ensuring that the emotional rawness is never fully sterilised by the pop polish. Again is a masterclass in emotional misdirection, using uptempo tracks and moments of quiet, piano-led despair to craft a compelling, concise, and incredibly fun record that validates its title by demanding to be played over and over again – making it the definitive breakup you can dance to.
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