The Belair Lip Bombs Again
The Belair Lip Bombs's Again arrives with sunlit momentum and a clearer sense of purpose, staking the Melbourne quartet's claim in the modern indie-rock revival. Critics praise the record's blend of surf-garage-punk energy and warm, melodic indie songwriting, noting Maisie Everett's confident, world-weary vocals and Mi
The best song is the opener Again and Again because it immediately establishes replay value and the album’s vision.
The album's core strength is energetic, catchy melodies and warm vocals, but its weakness is vague, clichéd lyrics that prevent distinctiveness.
Best for listeners looking for yearning and escapism, starting with Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair) and Hey You.
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Full consensus notes
The Belair Lip Bombs's Again arrives with sunlit momentum and a clearer sense of purpose, staking the Melbourne quartet's claim in the modern indie-rock revival. Critics praise the record's blend of surf-garage-punk energy and warm, melodic indie songwriting, noting Maisie Everett's confident, world-weary vocals and Mike Bradvica's propulsive guitar work as driving forces behind its most compelling moments. With a 77.55/100 consensus score across 11 professional reviews, the critical consensus frames Again as a growth record - more polished and hook-forward than its predecessors, yet still rooted in raw live-band immediacy.
Reviewers consistently point to standout tracks as proof of the album's strengths. “Hey You”, “Again and Again” and “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)” emerge repeatedly as the best songs on Again, praised for urgent hooks, stadium-ready choruses and punky defiance. Critics also single out “Back Of My Hand” and “If You've Got The Time” for their emotional peaks and loud-quiet dynamics, while quieter cuts like “Burning Up” and “Price Of A Man” provide moments of vulnerability that deepen the record's romantic and nostalgic themes. Reviewers note occasional clichéd lyrics and familiar influences, but most agree the album's assured songwriting and energetic swagger make those moments forgivable.
Taken together, the professional reviews present Again as a confident step forward: a compact, hook-filled collection that balances yearning, limerence and melodic ambition. For readers asking "is Again good" or searching for the best songs on Again, the critic consensus suggests the album is worth hearing for its standout singles and the band's palpable growth, and it sets the stage for bigger shows and broader attention.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)
11 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
Hey You
10 mentions
"On the blistering “Hey You,” she snaps, “Motherfucker just say what you mean / Watched you play with my heart / Is it ever what it seems?"— Bearded Gentlemen Music
Again and Again
10 mentions
"Right from the outset, the jolting opener "Again and Again" introduces strings and freakout chord progressions"— No Ripcord
On the blistering “Hey You,” she snaps, “Motherfucker just say what you mean / Watched you play with my heart / Is it ever what it seems?
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Again and Again
Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)
Another World
Cinema
Back Of My Hand
Hey You
If You've Got The Time
Smiling
Burning Up
Price Of A Man
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 11 critics who reviewed this album
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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
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The best song is the opener Again and Again because it immediately establishes replay value and the album’s vision.
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The album’s core strengths are catchy, power-pop hooks, earnest lyricism, and performances that feel ready for larger stages.
Themes
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
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Back Of My Hand is the best song for its jangly hooks and the album's most powerful chorus.
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Again’s core strengths are taut, hook-filled guitar pop, strong melodies, and growing band craft.
Themes
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
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‘Hey You’ is best for its urgency, hypnotic Rhodes loop and driving drums that showcase the band in full flight.
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The album's core strengths are assured songwriting, bold stylistic shifts, and Maisie Everett's increasingly heartfelt vocal performances.
Themes
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
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‘Another World’ is the best track because it pairs urgency with clarity and is called a clear high point.
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The album’s core strengths are warm melodic indie songwriting, tighter choruses, and polished, assured production.
Themes
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
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The best song is likely "Back Of My Hand" due to its Pixies-style dynamics and Everett's strongest vocal performance.
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The album's core strengths are earnest guitar-driven power-pop, sticky hooks, and a balance of DIY grit with arena-ready ambition.
Themes
Critic's Take
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
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The best song works because ringing guitars and an invigorated bassline turn angst into rousing hooks.
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The album's core strength is marrying raw surf/garage-punk energy with a more consistent, reflective indie-rock sensibility.
Themes
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
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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)".
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The album's core strength is energetic, catchy melodies and warm vocals, but its weakness is vague, clichéd lyrics that prevent distinctiveness.
Themes
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
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The best song, Hey You, is the album highlight because it channels breakup fury into an explosively cathartic chorus.
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The album’s core strength is pairing uptempo, jangly garage-pop with a surprising emotional centre, notably the piano-led Burning Up.
Themes
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
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“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.
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The album’s core strengths are outstanding musicianship, jangly guitars, and concise, hook-driven songwriting that yields a no-skips 35-minute listen.
Themes
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
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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.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Belair Lip Bombs channel a sunlit nostalgia on Again, spinning Libertines licks and noughties hooks into compact songs that trade in yearning and memory. Opener “Again and Again” encapsulates the record's fixation on a relationship that won't leave the narrator, while “Cinema” and “Back Of My Hand” salt the album with surf-style guitars and sharp observations of familiarity. “Hey You” is flagged as pure indie energy - a track you'd drop into a workout playlist - and “Don't Let Them Tell You (It's Fair)” supplies punky defiance. The tone is affectionate rather than revolutionary, so for listeners asking what the best tracks on Again are, start with “Again and Again”, “Cinema” and “Hey You” for the clearest hits of the record.
Key Points
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The best song is the opener “Again and Again” because it crystallises the album's yearning and 2010s indie hooks.
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The album's core strength is vivid nostalgia and energetic guitar-driven songwriting, even if it lacks true originality.