Alex Lahey’s debut EP arrived at a moment when Australian indie rock was beginning to shed some of its self-conscious cool and embrace something messier, louder and more emotionally direct. A decade on, those songs still feel wired with the same restless energy, which makes the announcement of B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) feel less like a nostalgia exercise and more like reopening an old diary only to realise the handwriting still looks painfully familiar.
Set for release on 17 July, the expanded anniversary edition gathers together re-recordings, alternate versions and archival material orbiting the original EP, including a newly recorded version of breakout single “You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me” featuring Tegan and Sara. It’s the kind of collaboration that makes immediate emotional sense. Tegan and Sara’s influence lingers all over the DNA of modern indie confessionals, and hearing them slide into Lahey’s sharp-edged anthem feels strangely inevitable rather than gimmicky.
Their reflections on Lahey only reinforce that sense of mutual admiration. Describing her as “weird and very funny” alongside being a powerhouse songwriter feels crucial because that tension has always sat at the core of Lahey’s appeal. Her songs can spiral into anxiety, self-doubt and frustration while still carrying the kind of wit that stops them collapsing under their own emotional weight. Backseat Mafia caught Lahey’s blistering set at Good Things Festival in 2024, where that same balance was on full display: cathartic indie rock delivered with enough charm and chaos to stop it becoming overly polished.
Stream “You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me” HERE.
In addition to the original EP, B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) includes brand new re-recordings of “You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me” and “Let’s Go Out,” alternate versions of “Wes Anderson” and “Let’s Go Out” taken from Lahey’s 2020 Between the Kitchen and the Living Room EP, plus a version of “You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me” recorded in 2017 live in-studio at triple j for their Like A Version series. A limited run vinyl version of B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) is available for pre-order HERE.
Lahey has also announced a string of solo U.S. tour dates taking place in July-go HERE for information.
