**The Belair Lip Bombs** might be Australia’s best-kept secret. But it won’t stay that way for long. Hailing from the coastal town of Frankston, the close-knit indie-rock four-piece have been building a loyal local following since they first formed eight years ago; fans across the band’s hometown of Melbourne and beyond have been magnetized to the group’s earnestness and ultra-sticky power-pop song structures. Now, the four close friends — lead singer/guitarist Maisie Everett, Mike Bradvica (guitar), Jimmy Droughton (bass), and Daniel “Dev” Devlin (drums) — are about to embrace a new chapter with their signing to Jack White’s Third Man Records (the first Australian release on the international label) and the unveiling of their endlessly listenable sophomore album, Again, which echoes the album’s joyous opening track (“Again and Again”) and winkingly symbolizes the band’s reintroduction to a global audience. Australian-based punk act blend jagged instrumentation and melancholic soundscapes into a visceral, genre-defiant identity. Drummer Kye Cherry, bassist Liam Smith, saxophonist Adam Ridgway and dual vocalists/guitarists Justin Teale and Gabriel Stove formed dust in 2020 to begin honing in on a sound that is both cathartic and confrontational. Their debut EP, et cetera, etc, released in early 2023 via Kanine Records and produced by Wade Keighran (, ), captured a raw and spontaneous fragment of the band’s early evolution. After its release, dust found themselves grounded in the new-wave of genre-defiance occurring across the country. **dust** The momentum garnered off the back of their debut release declared 2023 a pivotal year for the band performing an Australian tour in support of post-punk revival icons and as well as sharing the stage with shoegaze pioneers at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre and in Antwerp. Their powerful live presence earned them another invitation to perform alongside in support of the 20th Anniversary of their seminal album , solidifying their place overseas. As they continue to evolve, remain rooted in melancholia and self-inquiry. Their sound, at once nostalgic and forward-leaning, reflects a restless engagement with the social zeitgeist, slouching towards the future that they uneasily attempt to define. It’s easy to see why Third Man snatched them up: Born from the creative hub that is Frankston DIY venue Singing Bird Studio, The Belair Lip Bombs pull you in immediately with their self-coined “yearn-core” combination of quick-footed rhythms, warm and fuzzy guitar melodies, and Maisie’s cathartic vocals, which recall the heartfelt stylings of Yawners’ Elena Nieto, Julia Jacklin, or Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield. Such a vocal presence is ironically at odds with Maisie’s insular and pensive personality, but it’s in the music where her heart truly shines brightest, and it’s in the Bombs’ electric live show where her artistry confidently commands the stage. Following the breakout success of 2023’s Lush Life, the quartet’s follow-up effort gives the group’s DIY indie-rock style a fresh coat of polish across 10 rollicking new tracks, which were produced by the band, Nao Anzai (The Teskey Brothers), and Joe White (Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever). This is a 21+ event