The Belair Lip Bombs on Crafting Their Second Album, Again

WORDS: SAVANNAH GALLIMORE

With their sophomore album, Again, on the horizon, The Belair Lip Bombs are stepping into a new era of confidence and experimentation. After years of refining their sound on the road and in rehearsal rooms, the Melbourne-based four-piece have emerged with a record that showcases their creative evolution. From long days in the studio to gearing up for their biggest international tour yet, The Belair Lip Bombs are embracing change. Temper had the chance to sit down with drummer, Daniel “Dev” Devlin, about the making of Again, the lessons learned along the way, and how the band’s evolution continues to shape their sound and bond.

Temper: This is your sophomore album. How does it feel to have this record out into the world soon?

Daniel Devlin: Yeah, it's really exciting. We've been sitting on it for a while now, so we're just really looking forward to getting it out into the world. We've had such a great response to the first three singles, so we're keen for everyone to hear the whole thing

T: How would you describe the record to someone who's never heard it before?

DD: I think it's indie rock but with a bit of eclectic genres mixed in, a bit of post-punk, a bit of Americana stuff, a bit of pop ballads. We tried to mix it up.

T: When you’re writing and recording, does each member bring fragments in, or do you build everything from scratch together as a group?

DD: Usually Maisie comes into a rehearsal with a bit of an idea and then we'll flesh it out together as a band. But it changes, sometimes we'll write an idea in soundcheck, or in the past Mike's written songs as well. We’ve tried a few different things, but usually the four of us sit in a room together and flesh it out. That’s usually the best way it works. There’s an initial little ember or something that we work off from Maisie.

T: This was your first album working with a producer. How was that experience?

DD: It was our first time with a producer and the second time recording with Nao Anzai, who engineered the record and co-produced the album. It was such a good experience. Joe White is an amazing, accomplished musician himself who plays in a bunch of great bands that we love, but he was also a big fan of Lush Life, so he came into the process with a really good understanding of our sound and what we stood for as a band and what we wanted to create.

He was really good at making us feel confident in our ideas and was a great support. He definitely made Maisie, Mike, Jimmy, and I feel more confident in our playing and ideas.

T: Would you say your approach to making this album was different compared to your older projects?

DD: I think the approach was slightly different because we wrote some of the songs in the studio while recording, which was a new experience for all of us. In the past, we’d have songs completely finished before recording, but this time we tinkered a lot in the studio and really experimented with different sounds.

We got to refine the sound on each song, which was quite indulgent. You don’t always get that luxury as a musician, to spend that much time in the studio. We probably would’ve loved even more time, to be honest, but it was a really fun experience. We could spend entire days working on one song rather than bashing everything out quickly like we did in the past.

T: Were there any last-minute changes to songs before the album was finished?

DD: Lots of tinkering! We were constantly adding percussion bits and changing drum sounds. There were a couple of songs we really played around with a lot. With “Burning Up,” We actually recorded an entirely different version of that song that didn’t make it to the record, which was much more upbeat and happy. Now it’s obviously a sad, ballady one.

We did a lot of tinkering, especially during mixing. We went to Nao Anzai’s house in Victoria and spent a few great days there working through mixes. We did overdubs, bongos, shakers, tambourines, just to give the songs that extra one percent. We were able to add those in during that crucial last couple of weeks before the album was due, and we really locked in and got it done.

T: You’re heading out on tour soon through the UK, Europe, and North America. When you’re in the studio writing, do you think about how the songs will sound live?

DD: Yeah, I don't think we'll ever really change in that sense, because we write all the songs in a room together, so it’s pretty easy to translate them live. But for this record in particular, we really thought about that.

Even though we’re upping the live show a lot with these new tracks, we wanted to make sure we could play them live, not having a million vocal tracks or elements that we couldn’t pull off.

If there was something that might need a fifth or sixth member, we found ways to incorporate it differently live. Maisie’s hopefully going to have a piano or keyboard on the next tour, so we’ll be able to play some tracks we’ve never played before. It’s another thing to carry, you know, but we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it’s the best live show possible.

T: Are there any specific tour stops or cities you’re looking forward to?

DD: Maisie and I are really looking forward to going to Glasgow again. Maisie's from Scotland originally and I’m from Belfast in Northern Ireland, so we love that part of the world. The people are great. We’re also playing our first show in Ireland at the end of the UK tour, which will be pretty special. I’ve got lots of family coming to that one. We’re also really excited about Spain, we’ve never played there before. Copenhagen too. There’s just lots to look forward to.

T: Has there been a past show that sticks out as especially memorable?

DD: Yeah, our first London headline show overseas at The George Tavern. It sold out before doors even opened, which blew us away. It ended up being a really special, fun show. That was a moment where it felt pretty surreal to realise we actually had a bit of a following somewhere new.

T: Who are the biggest non-musical inspirations behind this album?

DD: That’s a good question. Honestly, a lot of our inspirations come from our friends who also play music, so it’s tricky to pick non-musical ones. I guess just life experiences in general.

We’d get ideas for songs while sitting in a pub together having a beer, or watching a band play in an Irish pub. That’s actually how we decided to add fiddle on a couple of songs. So a lot of it comes from spontaneity and just life happening around us.

But I probably shouldn’t speak too much for the lyrics side, that’s more Maisie’s domain.

Photo credit: Bridie Fitzgerald

T: Did you write all the songs in the same period, or did some come from older ideas?

DD: A lot of the songs were written, or at least started, around the same time. Maybe three or four were written early last year, and then we did demos of about 11 or 12 songs in September.

Around half the record was maybe 70% done when we went in to record, and we finished that last 30% in the studio with Joe. We also spent time in rehearsal spaces really locking everything in and getting it to the point it’s at now.


T: You’ve been playing together for eight years. How do you think your connection as a band has evolved, and how did that contribute to making this album?

DD: We’ve all known each other for so long, we’ve grown up together, gone through life together, and now we get to travel the world and make music. It’s a beautiful thing, and our relationships are only getting stronger.

Because we’ve been doing this a while and have all played in different bands before, we know how lucky we are to have a great label, team, and people interested in our music. Honestly, if this had all happened when we were younger, it might’ve been harder to navigate. But now we’re more mature and confident in what we’re doing, personally, I definitely feel that.

T: Looking back on the making of this album and working with producers, what’s one big lesson you’ll take into the next project?
DD: I think just trusting the process. It sounds cliché, but I remember feeling anxious about getting the record finished and worrying it wouldn’t turn out how we wanted. I just needed to relax and trust that the process would get us there, and it did.
Next time, I’ll go in more confident knowing that as a band, we work really well together in the studio. I’m already looking forward to the next record. We grew so much as musicians and people making this one, so it’ll be great to get back into that headspace again and start working on new music.