If debut albums are meant to serve as the gateway, a first impression, then The Belair Lip Bombs’ introductory effort paints a vibrant and emotive portrait of a band; built on strong songwriting and love for the craft.
The debut album from the Naarm/Melbourne indie group, called Lush Life, arrives as ten tracks of evocative exploration; stories that run a gamut of longing, seeking new horizons and discovering new paths to satisfaction and self-fulfilment.
The record captures gorgeous indie songwriting, helmed by Maisie Everett (guitar, key, vox) and fleshed out by a talented trio of musicians in Mike Bradvica (guitars), Liam De Bruin (drums) and Jimmy Droughton (bass). Featuring singles ‘Stay Or Go’, ‘Gimme Gimme’ and ‘Say My Name’, Lush Life is a perfect album for a first-time listener to immerse themselves in and for long time fans, the best pay off from the band who have spent the last three years charting their evolution beautifully through music and performances.
While the album features material written in 2021, there is music that reflects Everett’s songwriting journey from years previous.
The fusion of stories from back then, through to those written mere months before Lush Life was created in studio, speaks to the great way The Belair Lip Bombs thread their work together to create a whole picture that has each element in its right place.
The project, recorded in 2022 between Naarm/Melbourne spaces Head Gap and Singing Bird studios, saw The Belair Lip Bombs work with engineer Nao Anzai (Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, The Teskey Brothers) on mixing and mastering.
“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).
Other themes (though all still connected) include longing for connection and intimacy – several songs express a desire for emotional connection and intimacy with someone else, like in ‘Say My Name’ and ‘Gimme Gimme’; also, the desire to escape routine and mundanity.
The album has some themes of breaking free from routine and seeking something more fulfilling. In “World Is The One,” the lyrics express a desire to escape the monotony and reject a conventional lifestyle. “Stay Or Go” reflects the struggle of feeling trapped and questioning whether to stay or seek something new.”
MAISIE EVERETT, THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS
Themes of self-discovery and identity come through prominently on Lush Life, with tracks like ‘Easy On The Heart’ and ‘Look The Part’ exploring struggles with authenticity, as well as a desire to change and transform oneself.
The way Lush Life builds its narratives around striking indie rock arrangements, makes the listening experience such an enjoyable one. As Everett describes, pulling the record together was a fun, all-in group effort during the tracking and recording sessions; even featuring a guest spot courtesy of Sarah Hellyer (Floodlights), who plays trumpet on ‘Things That You Did’ and ‘Suck It In’.
“We were only in the studio with Nao recording the instruments for about 3 days I think. It took me about 10 vocal sessions with Max to finish the vocals. A lot of songs I hadn’t finished writing lyrics to before recording which made it harder. Some days I was in the studio with Max doing vocals from 9am until midnight.
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. We also came up with a few additional elements for some songs after recording the foundations as well.
There is synth in ‘Lucky Nine’ that was an idea we had on a whim while recording vocals, and piano in ‘Things That You Did’ that we came up with in a similar way, as well as a few more little things. 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.”
MAISIE EVERETT, THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS