Australian indie favourites The Belair Lip Bombs turned heads last week with a joyful cover of The 1975’s hit “Happiness” for their triple j Like a Version debut.
The Frankston-bred four-piece made the song their own to fit their style, including transposing the saxophone solo into one made for guitar.
After confessing her love for the song, having played it on repeat for years, lead vocalist Maisie Everett and drummer Daniel ‘Dev’ Devlin said they landed on The 1975 because their songs sit perfectly within her vocal range.
“We were really trying to find ones that Maisie felt comfortable singing,” drummer Daniel ‘Dev’ Devlin said. “I think a lot of The 1975 songs fit your vocal style quite well.”
Watch it below.
While in the Like a Version studio, the band also played their hit “Hey You”, which landed at No. 150 on the triple j Hottest 200.
The band will soon be heading on an Australian tour, kicking off at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on February 26th, before shows in Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane. The tour comes in support of their October album Again, the follow up to their 2023 debut Lush Life.
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Again, which landed at No. 24 on our 50 Best Australian Albums of 2025 list, marked Dev’s recording debut, having joined the band in 2024 after leaving his previous band Delivery. It was recorded with co-producers Nao Anzai and Joe White, and was the first release from the Jack White-founded label Third Man Records.
‘The Melbourne four-piece are on fine form on Again, combining soaring melodies and earnest songwriting to excellent effect,” we wrote.
The Belair Lip Bombs have been building a loyal local following since they first formed nearly ten years ago with their earnestness and ultra-sticky power-pop song structures. Upon graduating from high school, they juggled band life with day jobs, working to define a sound inspired by classic rock pillars like the Rolling Stones and Television as well as indie stalwarts like the War On Drugs and Stephen Malkmus.
They spent the first years as a band opening for Australian mainstays like Ladyhawke, Spacey Jane, Slowly Slowly, and Tired Lion, before releasing their more grunge-inspired self-titled debut EP in 2018 and then the poppier three-track follow-up, Songs to Do Your Laundry To (2019).
