A longish time in coming,
the Belair Lip Bombs
' debut album,
Lush Life
, arrived following some shorter releases and a series of strict pandemic lockdowns in their native Australia. In hindsight, it seems that the album benefited from this brewing process, however, as it finds the band continuing to expand upon initial influences like surf, garage, and pub rock while achieving a more mature sound and songwriting approach without sacrificing too much of their raw, generally exasperated appeal. Playing almost like a greatest-hits collection,
first appeared online in 2023 -- six years after the band's formation -- but after
the Lip Bombs
raised their profile with festival appearances including the 2024 SXSW, they came to the attention of
Third Man Records
, which snatched them up and gave the debut its first label release (including vinyl) that October. The album kicks off with "Say My Name," a typically energetic and hook-strong track that opens with chugging guitars and an anticipatory sixteenth-note snare run before the bass and melodic lead guitar line join in. Last to enter is
Maisie Everett
's recognizably impassioned vocals, delivered with an audible snarl. Here, she pines for an existence "in the lush life way¿with you." Still yearning for love, the punkier, more angular "Gimme Gimme," and the melancholier "World Is the One" are still urgent in nature, with the latter issuing explosive, grungy guitar breaks between verses. Over the course of its ten tracks,
never quite relaxes or gets satisfaction, with
Everett
trying to elicit affection ("Tell me that you like me") even on the calmer, poppier "Easy on the Heart" and the floatier, memorably tuneful "Things That You Did" ("If you really loved me, you would"), which surprises with a plaintive trumpet solo. Whether ranting or more resigned,
offers wall-to-wall hooky frustration, with an appealingly loose, spontaneous-sounding performance style and loads of promise. ~ Marcy Donelson