Melbourne/Naarm Indie Quartet, The Belair Lip Bombs are readying themselves for big things as they marry ambition, talent and creativity on their debut record ‘Lush Life’ which is set to be reissued by Third Man Records this year.
Created between Naarm/Melbourne studios, and mixed by Nao Anzai (Floodlights), ‘Lush Life’ was originally released last year and sits at just over half an hour long. During those thirty three minutes, The Belair Lip Bombs use their time perfectly to display their instrumental abilities, creating a sound which mixes Indie Pop and Rock. The record will see a brand new physical release this October via Third Man Records – one black edition and one limited pink pressing.
Once you start ‘Lush Life’, it’s very hard to turn the record off; The Belair Lip Bombs hook you in immediately with “Say My Name”, an opener filled with longing, reminiscing and reflection. Lead vocalist Maisie Everett brings Julia Jacklin to mind as her vocals build power during the frustrated verses (see ‘Gimme Gimme’) as well as demonstrating impressive technique on ‘Thing’s You Did’ with a charming falsetto high during the chorus and skilfully slides back into the verse.
On the record, Everett says “The album is titled Lush Life – these words are referenced a few times throughout the album. Themes or motifs explored in the album often involve a longing for something that isn’t there, but maybe not quite knowing exactly what that something is. The term ‘Lush Life’ sort of describes a picture-perfect world where everything is easy (but doesn’t actually exist). I wanted it to be perfect, and we tried a lot of different things in the studio, in terms of melodies and harmonies. It was a lot of fun. I was playing in another band at the time and constantly on tour which made it hard to finish the album in a linear way. But I’m glad we took our time with it, because it’s turned out exactly how we wanted it.”
Instrumentally, the band creates neat backdrops for Everett’s vocals with hints of brass and synths throughout the record. The tight musicianship shown by the band is all the more impressive when remembering that this is their debut record and that alone is a testament to the band’s incredible potential. With new material coming next year, along with UK show dates, The Belair Lip Bombs are definitely one we are exited to hear more from.
With that in mind, we caught up with The Belair Lip Bombs ahead of today’s Third Man signing announcement, to see how the new partnership came about and how they hope it will bring new fans to their music.
Congratulations on your new partnership with Third Man Records, with the new Jack White record just out in the world, it must be an exciting time to start your relationship with the label?
Thanks so much! Yeah, it’s a super exciting time for the label and we honestly couldn’t be more thrilled to start working with the team. We had an amazing day out in Soho with the London Third Man crew earlier this year which got us really excited to work with the label internationally. They are all such lovely people and it was obvious that they were big fans of our music which has already made such a difference while working together.
You’re based in Australia but came over in May to play festivals like The Great Escape along with some regional shows. Was it your time in the UK that sparked your relationship with Third Man? Can you tell us how it all happened?
We met with the label during our stint at SXSW in February, but we really solidified the relationship during our UK/EU tour in May. Camille and Molly from the Third Man team came down to a bunch of our UK shows which we all really appreciated. That supportive nature, particularly when playing in cities where you’re relatively unknown, was a big reason why we were able to foster that relationship.
You’re getting started right away by reissuing ‘Lush Life’ – can you tell us why giving your debut another shot felt important and how you’re feeling about the potential of attracting a new audience to those songs? Do they still feel very ‘current’ to you or are you itching for the next thing?
We’re all really proud of ‘Lush Life’ and are stoked that new listeners will get to hear it. The internet is obviously amazing for connecting people with music from all corners of the world, but sometimes getting it into the right hands can help get it into the right ears. I think we’re already seeing the benefits of that with UK radio play, College radio in the US etc. While we’re definitely itching to record and play new music, giving ‘Lush Life’ a bigger distribution feels equally as important for us right now.
‘Lush Life’ will be available physically in October and on pink vinyl – has the idea of having a version which people can hold and spend time with always been important to you? Is there a record you’ve collectively spent time with in that tangible way?
It’s really special getting to hold the physical record you’ve created with your friends. There’s definitely a big space for physical media, and I know as a band we all love collecting records and CD’s from the artists we love. We all have super eclectic tastes in the band which I think comes out in our sound, but there are definitely a bunch of records we collectively love too.
For those who are a little late to the party and just getting started with your music, which song from ‘Lush Life’ would you guide them to first and why that song?
‘Suck It In’ is a song we really love playing live. I also think that song is the best at summarising the general themes and lyrical motifs throughout ‘Lush Life’.
Now this is all out in the open, what are you working on next?
We’re currently in the writing phase of our next record. It’s gonna be hot.
You can stream the album in full here as well as pre order the reissue on limited vinyl.
Photo by Ian Laidlaw
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