Biography
The Belair Lip Bombs took their moniker from an obscure 1980s California skateboard wheel, even though none of the members rode boards. Their sound merges punk, indie pop, garage rock, Australian pub rock, and further strands into agitated, guitar-led alternative tracks that blend melancholy with irritation from the outset. After issuing a self-titled debut EP in 2018, the quartet delivered the full-length Lush Life in 2023; Third Man Records subsequently licensed the album for a worldwide vinyl edition in 2024.
Maisie Everett, guitarist Mike Bradvica, bassist Jimmy Droughton, and drummer Liam de Bruin formed the group in Melbourne in 2017. Drawing initial inspiration from surf and garage rock, they issued their first single, the Mikey Young-mastered “Get Smart,” in April 2018; the track later appeared on their independently released EP The Belair Lip Bombs that November. Characterized by Everett’s punky, angular vocals, noisy guitar textures, and concise melodic hooks, the band already began venturing beyond those early reference points into punk, chugging alt-rock, and psychedelia. A three-song interim release, Songs to Do Your Laundry To, surfaced in mid-2019 before pandemic restrictions temporarily halted momentum. The one-off single “Out of Here” arrived in July 2021, timed with Melbourne’s emergence from its fourth lockdown. Around the same period Everett joined Melbourne punk outfit Clamm as replacement bassist and backing vocalist.
By the time the Belair Lip Bombs began concentrated work on their debut album roughly five years after forming, their songwriting had grown more mature while retaining familiar stylistic anchors. Nao Anzai (Clamm, the Teskey Brothers) handled co-production, recording, mixing, and mastering, while vocals were produced and recorded separately by Max Dangerfield. The finished Lush Life appeared as a self-released set in August 2023. In the preceding years the band shared bills with the Living End, Ladyhawke, and Hockey Dad, and also headlined their own shows. Festival appearances across Australia followed in early 2024, capped by a SXSW debut in the United States that March. Impressed by the group’s raw, impulsive approach, Third Man Records offered the band its first formal recording contract, resulting in the worldwide vinyl release of Lush Life in October 2024.
Maisie Everett, guitarist Mike Bradvica, bassist Jimmy Droughton, and drummer Liam de Bruin formed the group in Melbourne in 2017. Drawing initial inspiration from surf and garage rock, they issued their first single, the Mikey Young-mastered “Get Smart,” in April 2018; the track later appeared on their independently released EP The Belair Lip Bombs that November. Characterized by Everett’s punky, angular vocals, noisy guitar textures, and concise melodic hooks, the band already began venturing beyond those early reference points into punk, chugging alt-rock, and psychedelia. A three-song interim release, Songs to Do Your Laundry To, surfaced in mid-2019 before pandemic restrictions temporarily halted momentum. The one-off single “Out of Here” arrived in July 2021, timed with Melbourne’s emergence from its fourth lockdown. Around the same period Everett joined Melbourne punk outfit Clamm as replacement bassist and backing vocalist.
By the time the Belair Lip Bombs began concentrated work on their debut album roughly five years after forming, their songwriting had grown more mature while retaining familiar stylistic anchors. Nao Anzai (Clamm, the Teskey Brothers) handled co-production, recording, mixing, and mastering, while vocals were produced and recorded separately by Max Dangerfield. The finished Lush Life appeared as a self-released set in August 2023. In the preceding years the band shared bills with the Living End, Ladyhawke, and Hockey Dad, and also headlined their own shows. Festival appearances across Australia followed in early 2024, capped by a SXSW debut in the United States that March. Impressed by the group’s raw, impulsive approach, Third Man Records offered the band its first formal recording contract, resulting in the worldwide vinyl release of Lush Life in October 2024.
Albums
Singles
