An alt folk-pop project direct from Canberra, Bec Taylor and the Lyrebirds' newest release 'Irresistible' is a homage to chasing romance, even if you know the relationship is doomed.
Sweet, clean vocal harmonies open the song as a dusty, shimmery drum is paired to a gleaming, polished guitar and twinkling keys, generating a buoyant mood.
The song quickly breaks into a country-pop ballad, Bec and Sam McNair's duelling vocals adding a charming texture, their harmonies intertwining like a flickering neon sign on a rainy night, the romantic feels abundantly concise.
It's a joyful bop, yet it's layered in shadows with the lyrics foretelling a romantic connection that probably shouldn't be explored further, yet remaining somewhat vague, allowing the suppressed tension to simmer like a pot of rice left unattended on the stovetop.
Add a hint of 'cinematic' pedal steel with a noodling bassline that twirls and flutters, and the emotions reach peak levels, especially when the lyrics 'the hardest truth I've ever known / how can we let it go' act like a mantra as both parties succumb to their primal feelings: 'I know it can't be the way that we wanted it to be / so what's the harm in one more time.'
The song finally star-bursts into bright, cathartic, sonic tones, its country music spirit felt from Rockhampton to Rockingham.
"It's about loving someone you've already decided to walk away from," shares the band. "The song lives in that uncomfortable space between logic and longing. . . It's the sound of emotional gravity."
Released last week, today scenestr is thrilled to premiere the 'Irresistible' music video, which was filmed at several locations in and around Canberra, the band leaning into the textures of their home town. Enjoy.
"'Irresistible' began with a chorus that came to Bec in a dream, being one of those melodies that arrives fully formed and refuses to be forgotten," adds the band.
"Bec and Sam shaped the duet together soon after, finishing the writing on a quiet weekend on the South Coast at Rosedale Beach, NSW, where the song settled into its easy, joyful feel."
The path to recording the track was less serene. After cancelled flights out of Canberra, the band eventually made it to Tasmania via a turbulent flight into Devonport to record in the mountains with multi Golden Guitar-winning producer Matt Fell (Fanny Lumsden, Troy Cassar-Daley).
Once there, the intensity of the journey gave way to several focused days of collaboration, allowing the song to take its final shape. "It took a long time to reveal what it wanted to be. Once the band got hold of it, everything clicked."
Directed by Tim Kent of Stackhat Productions, the video turns Canberra into a supporting character, with scenes filmed at Smith's Alternative, Gang Gang Cafe, Dickson Taphouse, Land Speed Records, local streets, supermarkets, and classic Canberra bus shelters.
The video culminates with a final performance shot atop Mount Ainslie, overlooking one of the city's most iconic views.
"We wanted the video to feel unmistakably Canberra, without romanticising it," the band says. "These are places where life actually happens, not postcard versions of the city."
One standout moment features drummer Clarke Finn playing in a Canberra bus shelter, his kick drum emblazoned with a hand-painted image of Black Mountain Tower – a small but deliberate nod to place woven into the frame. "That drum skin felt like a love letter to Canberra hidden in plain sight."
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing during filming; during the final performance shot on top of Mount Ainslie, the UE boom speaker died – a serious problem when the drummer needs to play in time.
The solution was to park a car as close as possible to the cliff edge, wind the windows down, and blast the track loud enough for the band to hear.
The setup drew a growing crowd of onlookers, phones out, watching the scene unfold. Just as the band hit the emotional peak of the final chorus, a man wearing noise-cancelling headphones walked straight through the shot, flipping double rude fingers — one directly at the camera, one at the band.
The timing was so perfect, and the moment so funny, that the band decided to keep it in. The moment can be spotted during the final chorus of the video.
"It was the most Canberra thing imaginable: beautiful view, polite audience, total chaos. You couldn't script it better if you tried. That moment perfectly captures the spirit of the whole shoot."
On the live front, the band are looking to maintain a regular gigging schedule in 2026, having already booked concerts at Smith's Alternative (Canberra) 21 May with Dan Musil, and a trip to Tasmania at The Wharf (Ulverstone) on 29 May with Sparrow Grass, with more shows planned.
