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.

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).

Laveda:

Laveda have carved out their place in NY’s ever growing indie rock scene since moving fromthe state capitol to the heart of NYC’s up and coming underground music hub, RidgewoodQueens. Formed by co-foundersAli Genevich(vocals/guitar/bass) andJake Brooks(guitar/vocals), withDan Carr(bass/guitar) andJoe Taurone(drums), the group has evolvedfrom their dreamy indie roots into a charged, experimental force,harnessing aesthetics of 80’spunk and 90’s grunge.Their third studio album,Love, Darla,released onBar/None RecordsinSeptember of 2025, cements the band’s new noise-rock leaning sound through ten emotionallyresonant tracks thatmirror the harsh noise and static of the city they now call home.Far OutMagazine UKpraises Laveda’s “coyplayfulness, evidence of years spent together finding thebest way through a genre overflowing with lazy guitar work and unimaginative drummingpatterns” andTheNeedledropnames them “one of the most exciting bands in the undergroundright now”