Again by The Belair Lip Bombs
75
ChoruScore
10 reviews
Oct 31, 2025
Release Date
Third Man Records
Label

The Belair Lip Bombs's Again arrives as a sunburnt, guitar-forward statement that mixes surf-garage punch with arena-size ambition and heartfelt songwriting. Across professional reviews, critics point to the record's bright hooks and live-band energy while debating whether polish occasionally smooths the band's rougher edges - the consensus suggests a confident step forward rather than a dramatic reinvention. The album earned a 75/100 consensus score across 10 professional reviews, a reflection of widespread praise for its strengths and occasional notes of familiar territory.

Critics consistently name Hey You, Again and Again, Back Of My Hand and Don't Let Them Tell You (It's Fair) among the best songs on Again, with many reviews highlighting Hey You as the clear standout - a pulsing, synth-laced anthem that showcases Maisie Everett's warm vocals and the band's knack for urgent melodic payoff. Reviewers also single out piano-led cuts like Burning Up and the rollicking If You've Got The Time for adding emotional depth amid the record's driving, singalong choruses. Across these tracks, recurring themes emerge: yearning masked by upbeat pop, confident musicianship, and a tension between DIY grit and stadium-ready sheen.

While some critics fault a few clichéd lyrics and familiar indie-rock signposts, many praise the band's growth in arrangement and conviction, calling Again a taut, hook-filled collection that stakes a claim for breakout success. For readers searching "Again review" or "best songs on Again", the critical consensus points to an album worth hearing for its standout singles and newfound polish — a record that balances vulnerability with swagger and signals meaningful maturation for the band.

Critics' Top Tracks

The standout songs that made critics take notice

1

Hey You

9 mentions

"Such boldness is present in lead single ‘Hey You’, which buzzes with urgency"
New Musical Express (NME)
2

Don't Let Them Tell You (It's Fair)

6 mentions

"the satisfying rock-out finale of ‘Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)’"
New Musical Express (NME)
3

Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)

4 mentions

"On “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair),” she ruefully intones, “Starstruck, you gotta make your own luck / And I’m making a woman out of me.”"
Bearded Gentlemen Music
Such boldness is present in lead single ‘Hey You’, which buzzes with urgency
N
New Musical Express (NME)
about "Hey You"
Read full review
9 mentions
86% sentiment

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

Again and Again

9 mentions
100
02:34
2

Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)

4 mentions
88
03:57
3

Another World

7 mentions
83
02:37
4

Cinema

8 mentions
64
02:51
5

Back Of My Hand

8 mentions
100
03:26
6

Hey You

9 mentions
100
03:31
7

If You've Got The Time

8 mentions
94
03:52
8

Smiling

7 mentions
35
03:12
9

Burning Up

9 mentions
77
04:02
10

Price Of A Man

7 mentions
48
04:21

What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 11 critics who reviewed this album

Pitchfork logo
Pitchfork
Grace Robins-Somerville
Nov 17, 2025
65

Critic's Take

The reviewer finds Again by The Belair Lip Bombs peppy but derivative, singling out Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair) and Hey You as the album’s best songs. They praise Maisie Everett’s warm vocals and Mike Bradvica’s exuberant riffs, calling those tracks obvious standouts that sustain momentum. Conversely, songs like Cinema and Another World falter with vague, clichéd lyrics, while the intimate closer Price Of A Man hints at the resonance the band rarely achieves. Overall the best tracks on Again are the ones that pair energized playing with focused moments of feeling, even if the record mostly feels familiar rather than distinct.

Key Points

  • The best song is best because it combines glimmering guitar work and focused pep-talk lyrics, as on "Don't Let Them Tell You (It's Fair)".
  • The album's core strength is energetic, catchy melodies and warm vocals, but its weakness is vague, clichéd lyrics that prevent distinctiveness.

Themes

young adult misadventure nostalgia / familiar indie rock romantic uncertainty clichéd lyrics versus charged moments
XS Noize logo
XS Noize
Darren Leach
Nov 10, 2025

Critic's Take

On The Belair Lip Bombs bright hooks and aching lyrics make Again feel like the best tracks on Again were written for the car radio and the heartbreak alike. The reviewer pins much of that energy to Hey You, calling it the album highlight - a bouncy, pulsing plea that explodes into catharsis. The quieter, piano-led Burning Up is presented as the emotional centre, a beautifully executed tonal shift that lets vulnerability breathe. Together these songs show why the best songs on Again pair irresistible garage-pop momentum with genuine emotional weight.

Key Points

  • The best song, Hey You, is the album highlight because it channels breakup fury into an explosively cathartic chorus.
  • The album’s core strength is pairing uptempo, jangly garage-pop with a surprising emotional centre, notably the piano-led Burning Up.

Themes

breakup melancholy masked by upbeat pop emotional vulnerability driving/escape
Bearded Gentlemen Music logo
Bearded Gentlemen Music
Adam P. Newton
Nov 3, 2025

Critic's Take

In a typically exuberant voice, I find The Belair Lip Bombs on Again delivering some of the best songs on Again with particular highlights like Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair) and Hey You. The record is compact and no-nonsense, overflowing with outstanding musicianship and sharp songwriting that makes those tracks stand out as the best songs on Again. Maisie Everett’s world-weary alto and the jangly guitars give these songs an immediacy and emotional punch, which is why listeners searching for the best tracks on Again should cue those cuts first. Overall the album feels like proof that rock remains vital, driven by hooks and relatable riffs that stick to your bones.

Key Points

  • “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)” stands out for its rueful lyrics and Everett’s voice, making it the album’s emotional centerpiece.
  • The album’s core strengths are outstanding musicianship, jangly guitars, and concise, hook-driven songwriting that yields a no-skips 35-minute listen.

Themes

resurgence of rock raw musicianship heartfelt songwriting melancholy and love
No Ripcord logo
No Ripcord
Juan Edgardo Rodríguez
Oct 30, 2025
80

Critic's Take

The Belair Lip Bombs sound more at ease on Again, and the best songs - notably Again and Again and Back Of My Hand - prove why. The reviewer praises the jolting opener Again and Again for its strings and freakout chord progressions, and singles out Back Of My Hand as delivering the album’s most powerful chorus. A slower cut, If You've Got The Time, is highlighted for charming harmonies and a righteous solo that reveal the band’s growing craft. Overall, the record is lauded as a taut, hook-filled step forward that feels like a calling card for Third Man Records.

Key Points

  • Back Of My Hand is the best song for its jangly hooks and the album's most powerful chorus.
  • Again’s core strengths are taut, hook-filled guitar pop, strong melodies, and growing band craft.

Themes

guitar-driven pop hooks and melody nostalgic influences band growth and maturation

No

Northern Transmissions
Dom Lepore
Oct 30, 2025
80

Critic's Take

In this review Dom Lepore hears The Belair Lip Bombs returning with joyous momentum on Again, the opener Again and Again practically daring you to press replay and the propulsive Another World and piano-tinged Cinema staking the record’s best tracks with irresistible hooks. Lepore’s voice is warm and observant, noting Everett’s newfound confidence and the band’s power-pop chops while praising how songs like Hey You and Back Of My Hand build crowd-ready peaks and intimate loud-quiet dynamics. The narrative answers which are the best songs on Again by pointing to those earwormy moments and spirited performances that make the album feel ready for bigger stages.

Key Points

  • The best song is the opener Again and Again because it immediately establishes replay value and the album’s vision.
  • The album’s core strengths are catchy, power-pop hooks, earnest lyricism, and performances that feel ready for larger stages.

Themes

yearning escapism romance breakout success energetic swagger
New Musical Express (NME) logo
New Musical Express (NME)
David James Young
Oct 29, 2025
80

Critic's Take

The Belair Lip Bombs's Again finds the band more sure-footed and bolder than before, with lead single Hey You buzzing with urgency and the satisfying rock-out finale of Don't Let Them Tell You (It's Fair) proving the Lip Bombs are a rock band first, indie band second. David James Young writes with measured enthusiasm, noting Michael Bradvica's Nile Rodgers-style chucking on Cinema and Maisie Everett's heartfelt vocals most affecting on quiet moments like Burning Up. The record balances risk and reward, from hypnotic Rhodes loops to piano-ballad departures, and it makes clear why these songs are the best tracks on Again - immediate, textured and emotionally direct. Overall, the tracks singled out here are the ones that most clearly mark the band's step up to an international stage.

Key Points

  • ‘Hey You’ is best for its urgency, hypnotic Rhodes loop and driving drums that showcase the band in full flight.
  • The album's core strengths are assured songwriting, bold stylistic shifts, and Maisie Everett's increasingly heartfelt vocal performances.

Themes

confidence and ambition musical growth and experimentation vulnerability in relationships rock vs indie identity
The Line of Best Fit logo
The Line of Best Fit
Attila Peter
Oct 29, 2025
70

Critic's Take

The Belair Lip Bombs’s Again is at its best on the sticky power-pop of Back Of My Hand and the jubilant single Hey You, songs that show why listeners ask about the best tracks on Again. The reviewer praises Back Of My Hand for its loud-quiet Pixies dynamics and Everett’s strongest vocals, and highlights Hey You for its Korg-driven hook and stadium-ready sheen. Opener Again and Again and the guitar-charged single Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair) are lauded as energetic statements, though some tracks like Burning Up flirt with cheesiness. Overall the record balances DIY grit with arena ambitions, which is why listeners searching for the best songs on Again will often land on these standout moments.

Key Points

  • The best song is likely "Back Of My Hand" due to its Pixies-style dynamics and Everett's strongest vocal performance.
  • The album's core strengths are earnest guitar-driven power-pop, sticky hooks, and a balance of DIY grit with arena-ready ambition.

Themes

limerence/infatuation guitar-driven indie rock earnest power-pop arena-ready ambition vs DIY roots
AllMusic logo
AllMusic
Oct 29, 2025
70

Critic's Take

The Belair Lip Bombs keep their disgruntled surf/garage roar intact on Again, but polish and focus make songs like Don't Let Them Tell You (It's Fair) and Hey You land harder. The record favors measured warnings over pleading, and the band’s angsty voice gains clarity rather than losing rawness. Standouts such as Hey You and the propulsive Again and Again show how ringing guitars and invigorated basslines turn grievance into rousing hooks. Overall, Again reads like a more consistent, reflective step forward for the Melbourne four-piece.

Key Points

  • The best song works because ringing guitars and an invigorated bassline turn angst into rousing hooks.
  • The album's core strength is marrying raw surf/garage-punk energy with a more consistent, reflective indie-rock sensibility.

Themes

angst surfgarage-punk fusion growth/step forward reflective sensibility guitar-driven arrangements
Dork logo
Dork
Published: 10:56 pm, October 29, 2025
Oct 29, 2025
80

Critic's Take

The Belair Lip Bombs’ Again doubles down on warm, melodic indie while tightening the edges, and the review makes it clear the best tracks are Another World and Back Of My Hand. The critic praises how choruses hit more cleanly and production has a polish, which elevates standouts like Again and Again and Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair). There is particular warmth for the urgency-and-clarity pairing on Another World, and the reviewer names Back Of My Hand the sweetest, delivered with unguarded sincerity. Overall the tone is measured and approving - the album may not shout, but it earns attention.

Key Points

  • ‘Another World’ is the best track because it pairs urgency with clarity and is called a clear high point.
  • The album’s core strengths are warm melodic indie songwriting, tighter choruses, and polished, assured production.

Themes

warm melodic indie nostalgia precision vs grit assured songwriting
Paste Magazine logo
Paste Magazine
Matt Mitchell
Oct 28, 2025

Critic's Take

In a rousing appraisal of Again, Paste’s Matt Mitchell leans into the record’s biggest triumphs, naming If You've Got The Time and Hey You as the album’s high-water marks. He writes with an exuberant, conversational authority, calling “Hey You” a synth-punk anthem born "with a gold medal pinned to it" and framing If You've Got The Time as the rambling, rollicking centerpiece that erupts into a highway solo. The narrative stays rooted in the band’s live-band DNA and frank authenticity, crediting Maisie Everett’s vocals and the quartet’s chemistry for making the best tracks feel simultaneously polished and immediate.

Key Points

  • The best song is If You've Got The Time because the reviewer calls it the album's rambling, rollicking centerpiece with an eruptive solo.
  • The album's core strengths are Maisie Everett's confident vocals, the band's live-band energy, and a balance of polish and authenticity.

Themes

authenticity yearning/desperation live-band energy growth and polish