The Belair Lip Bombs – ‘Again’ album review: Reliable indie that hits all the notes
Under the stewardship of Jack White‘s record label, Third Man Records, The Belair Lip Bombs deliver an album that showcases a band growing in confidence. Bursting out of the garages that foster this style of rock, with compelling guitar licks and Maise Everett, charismatic vocals, Again is a bona fide injection of indie goodness.
The Skinny: The A-side is brimming with all of the energy and charm you’d expect from an album described simply as indie goodness. Because it’s there for all to see, be it Mike Bradvica’s spiralling guitar lines that run through verses of tracks like ‘Another World’ or Daniel Devlin’s driving drum beat in lead single ‘Hey You’. There’s an emotional urgency to it all that’s beautifully driven by the band’s vocalist, Everitt.
While the bones of the ingredients are relatively simple on the album and there’s little in the way of pedal effects or elaborate arrangements, the band remain nimble with their ideas. ‘If You’ve Got The Time’ showcases their ability to flip things inside out and create melodies that boast a little bit more groove than your average track, while on ‘Cinema’, there is an almost Parquet Courts feel that cracks open the door into textural experimentation. All of this propels the sense of intrigue that you feel in the listen and avoids the record falling completely into indie pastiche.
If it’s guilty of anything, it’s of becoming tiresome towards the end of the record, as the glimmers of instrumental flourishes on the likes of ‘Burning Up’ and ‘Price Of A Man’ don’t seem to satiate that appetite for more, which forebodes most of the record. It is a triumph in garage rock and DIY attitudes; there is a clear sense that something more exists beneath the surface.
Nevertheless, it’s a record that won’t fail in putting a smile on your face and a pep in your step, as it showcases a bit instinctively in tune with one another, laying down songs that hit all of the alt-rock notes.
The Verdict: Maisie Everett makes for a compelling leader of a band, crafting their voice with every session played together. Glimpses of experimentation peak through the structures of the reliable indie record that doesn’t underdeliver, but doesn’t quite overachieve.
Defining song: ‘Another World’
Release date: October 31st | Producer: Nao Anzai and Joe White | Label: Third Man
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