Who is Lipstick? Give us the origin story.

Lipstick formed in August of 2023 with myself, Harry Thomas, Dillon Bouchier and Jake Stokes. However, we only started playing shows in 2024, with our first one being in March at Moon. From this we got offered an Eyegum [at San Fran] right after we got off stage and the ball just kept rolling from there.

We released our debut EP “Rom-Com” on the 6th of September 2024. From that we went on a mini-tour to Auckland and got radio play across the country.

How would you describe your sound?

Alt-rock, punchy guitar riffs and hooks with catchy, emotionally driving lyrics. If you listen to Party (May 2024 - listen here), our debut single, it’s full of “juvenile love and heartbreak,” coloured with a youthful 80s‑flavoured guitar sparkle, capturing our live energy.

It was exactly what we wanted with our early tunes, to capture our live shows.

Who are your major influences?

As a band, I think we all bring in influences from all over. Our initial influences for this band I think were acts like Bloc Party and Interpol as we wanted to make music to get people moving. On these new tracks you’ll be able to hear our love for bands like The Smiths, The Cure, Dance Exponents, Daffodils and many more!

You had your first gig just last year. What’s been the weirdest or most wonderful moment for the band so far?

We’ve been lucky enough to have so many great moments and shows already. But I think my personal favourite was going to Auckland last year and seeing the crowd sing along to our songs even though it was our first show there. It’s a pretty unreal feeling.

You have a sick poster out on Phantom Billstickers’ sites at the moment. What’s the story behind it?  

A friend of ours, Ogg, has always been someone whose work we’ve admired but this is the first time we’ve got him to do a poster for us. We’re pretty stoked with the outcome!

You’re debuting a new release from your debut album, “Giving It Up.” What can you tell us about the track?

This is our first release since we dropped our debut EP Rom-Com last year in September. Giving it Up was the natural next single as it is a favourite amongst our fans, very catchy and easy to sing along to, give it a listen and you’ll see what I mean.

Anything you want to tell us about what’s coming up for Lipstick? 

We’ve got some very exciting things coming up with a new project on the way. This next one you could consider as our attempt to level up as a local band, as an attempt to build something bigger than just the songs. We want to create a world with the visuals, shows and media that feels ambitious and fully realised.

What’s next for Lipstick? Follow them and find out!

Instagram @lipstick.mp3

TikTok @lippysticky