BACKSTORY: Delivery’s 2022 debut Forever Giving Handshakes propelled them to the forefront of their local DIY scene—now, the five-piece is going global
FROM: Melbourne, Australia
YOU MIGHT KNOW THEM FROM: Their signing to revered UK imprint Heavenly Recordings, or their fall UK tour opening for The Vaccines
NOW: Fresh off an expansive headlining tour of Europe and the UK and the release of their second album, Force Majeure, Delivery is heading Stateside for their first-ever US shows, including a stop at FLOOD’s own SXSW stage
Gigging within the same Melbourne scene for years, James Lynch was all melodic hooks and pop-rock sensibilities, while his partner Bec Allan—well, she was full-on screaming. Both were regulars in the same venues, moving in the same circles, but on opposite ends of the punk spectrum. It wasn’t until 2020, when a seemingly indefinite lockdown trapped the couple in their shared home, that Bec and James seriously considered making music together as Delivery. “When I started playing in the band, I’d be like, ’I don’t know how to sing, so I’m going to yell,” recalls Allan, phoning in from Germany with Lynch midway through their band’s first headlining tour in Europe. “When we were recording the first album, we’d be writing a song and I’d be yelling, and James would be like, ‘Maybe don’t go so hard.’ Even working on new music now, James will write a punk song and I’ll be like ‘Wait, we crossed?’ Learning to trust each other’s instincts—and influencing each other a bit, too—has been really cool.”
But this isn’t a story of romance—or even of the duo at all, as the post-punk quintet is far bigger than any two of its members. A true collective, Delivery is a group of friends committed to experimentation, pushing each other’s limits, and the chaos that comes with making it as a DIY band within a crowded local landscape. What started as Allan yelling over Lynch’s riffs mid-pandemic quickly evolved into a vibrant household full of musicians—a guitarist on the guest bed, the drummer on the couch—all plucked from prominent Melbourne groups including Blonde Revolver, Gutter Girls, and Pinch Points.
By the time the group was back onstage, there was a record to show for it: 2022’s Forever Giving Handshakes, a thrilling ride (as implied by the roller coaster depicted on its cover) that expertly maneuvers between Allan’s fists-first punk instincts, the more melodic fuzz of Lynch’s past, and the alternating lead vocals of drummer Liam Kenny and guitarists Scarlett Maloney and Jordan Oakley. A cohesive, ecstatic debut, the album flung Delivery to the top of their local scene and caught the attention of Heavenly Recordings, the UK label known for championing exciting Australian acts to audiences overseas. “The Vines were my childhood favorite band,” shares Lynch, clearly still in a state of disbelief about his band’s recent signing. “There’s a huge pipeline from them through to King Gizzard, Confidence Man, and all of these other Australian acts that went on to sign [to Heavenly]. To be put in the same sentence as those bands is very bizarre.”
“Anything anyone in Delivery writes is a Delivery song.” — Bec Allan
Joining the Heavenly roster places Delivery on the same journey that groups such as Amyl and the Sniffers or The Chats have taken in recent years—punk that resonates well beyond its origins in Australia. “There are so many pipelines from Melbourne,” Allan says. “It feels like you have brother-sister music scenes all around the world. We went to Leipzig the other day and everyone from Leipzig knows someone from Melbourne, has all the records from this band, and then two people from Leipzig come to Melbourne with their band, get a Melbourne backing band, and vice versa.” “It’s like a foreign exchange,” Lynch laughs in agreement.
The group’s newly released debut for Heavenly, Force Majeure, is a tighter, more whimsical version of the group’s post-punk sound. Instead of live recordings, the album came together in pieces, with each band member bringing their own influences, demos, and ideas. “There’s no right or wrong way that we go into making music,” Allan says. “If you want to write a full song with every part and vocals yourself, go for it. Or if you want to bring an idea and workshop it with the band, that’s also cool. Anything anyone in Delivery writes is a Delivery song.”
And it’s true: the influences on Force Majeure range from the melodic inclinations of Wire on “Operating at a Loss” to the tough guitar licks of Eddy Current Suppression Ring on “The New Alphabet,” not to mention dalliances with the artier, synth-forward style of Talking Heads on “What Else?” Even traces of Australia’s own Dolewave movement—the jangly, angst-ridden 2010s style of rock attributed to groups like Dick Diver or Twerps—shine through on the record. “We all grew up listening to 2000s indie rock as much as cool post-punk from the ’80s, which comes out in interesting ways,” posits Lynch. “We’re not too ashamed of our influences. There was one point where I was like, ‘I want to make the whole album sound like Franz Ferdinand.’ Everyone was like, ‘Uhh, I don’t know about that.’ But I think those things are in there, too—things that might not, from the outset, seem like the most punk choice.”
With all the influences swirling about, what makes Delivery unique is an innate sense of pacing. On Force Majeure, the guitar solos are more adrenaline-fueled, the drum lines ripping even harder into ravaged, sing-songy choruses—and yet, right when the relentless momentum feels unbearable, Delivery pulls back, offering moments to regroup and take in new sights before the barrage begins again. “There’s nothing worse than hearing a punk album that doesn’t let up,” Lynch notes. “There are definitely cases where that’s amazing. But I think we’ve always thought there’s a bit more power in pumping the brakes from time to time. It wasn’t super conscious—it’s just naturally within the band’s DNA.”
“I think a challenge to yourself, that’s probably more where it comes from,” adds Allan. “When we’re like, ‘Alright, we’ve done a lot of songs like this,’ we think: ‘What else could be fun to do? Would we like to try out or experiment with this?’ Not just existing within a tight restraint of what’s allowed to go into it. It’s whatever anyone wants to try.”
“We’ve always thought there’s a bit more power in pumping the brakes from time to time. It wasn’t super conscious—it’s just naturally within the band’s DNA.” — James Lynch
If Allan and Lynch claim that the pacing and innovative nature of Force Majeure is subconscious, it’s because the group’s instincts are so sharpened from years of experience: these wild arrangements are driven by a precision only made possible through their shared vision and the sheer acumen of each individual member. The record not only showcases what Delivery is capable of, but also proves that the group’s evolution is nowhere near complete. And with a new touring band (once again made up of friends and admired players from Melbourne’s tight-knit scene), it’s been easy to maintain the chemistry and experimental ethos that’s defined the group since day one. In fact, they’re already at work on new music. “The songs that we’ve got in the set so far are a really good base. I think it’s giving us a lot of confidence that—” Lynch starts, before Allan jumps in: “We’re heading in a good direction.”
With all the momentum behind Force Majeure and their first US shows on the horizon—including NYC’s New Colossus Fest ahead of a packed schedule at SXSW—Delivery isn’t just heading in the right direction. They’re poised for something much bigger: a breakthrough as unpredictable and exhilarating as their journey so far. FL
