Picking the best Delivery songs is a genuinely fun problem to have, because this Melbourne five-piece doesn’t really write a bad track. Since forming in the thick of Naarm’s 2021 lockdowns, Delivery have built a catalogue across two full-lengths — Forever Giving Handshakes (2022) and Force Majeure (2025) — that swings between synth-punk sprints, jangly garage hooks, and post-punk sneer, all held together by five distinct voices trading lead vocals like it’s a group sport. I’ve spent way too many commutes with this band in my ears, and what keeps pulling me back is how human it sounds: guitars that occasionally threaten to fall apart, harmonies that sound like friends yelling in a kitchen, and lyrics that turn office jargon and everyday dread into something you want to shout along to. Below are the twenty tracks that best capture why Delivery have gone from bedroom-recorded 7-inches to a deal with UK label Heavenly Recordings in just a few years.
Digging The Hole
The opening shot on Force Majeure and the single that announced Delivery’s signing to Heavenly Recordings, “Digging The Hole” is three and a half minutes of relentless forward motion. The song reportedly draws on the idea that some people quietly do the grunt work while others undo it, and you can hear that frustration in the rhythmic, almost shouted verses. What sells it for me is the mid-song breakdown into a percussive middle eight before the guitars detonate again — it’s a genuinely thrilling arrangement choice for an album opener. On headphones, the interplay between the rhythm section and the layered guitar tracking really jumps out; in a car with the windows down, it just feels like pure kinetic energy.
Like A Million Bucks
Following “Digging The Hole” in the Force Majeure tracklist, “Like A Million Bucks” trims the runtime down to a lean two and a half minutes without losing any of the pulsing, punk-tinged urgency. It’s one of the tightest examples of Delivery’s newer, more turbocharged guitar-solo instincts, with a hook that lodges itself in your head after a single listen. There’s a scrappy, DIY charm to the production that still feels connected to the band’s earlier 7-inch releases, even as the songwriting has gotten sharper. Live, this is reportedly one of the tracks that gets the whole room moving fastest.
Operating At A Loss
James Lynch has talked about “Operating At A Loss” as his take on the absurd jargon and quiet competitiveness of professional workplace life, and that satirical eye gives the song real bite. Musically, it opens with a growling drum-and-bass rumble before exploding into a punk-new-wave kick that critics have compared to Magazine’s angular sensibility. The coffee-shop imagery threaded through the lyrics adds a specific, almost novelistic texture that separates it from generic office-song clichés. It’s a great example of how Delivery use genre nods without ever sounding like pure pastiche.
What For?
Sequenced right after “Operating At A Loss,” “What For?” keeps the momentum going with a snappier, more compact structure that clocks in under three minutes. Clash Magazine singled this pairing out as a highlight of the record’s “absurdities of contemporary life” streak, and I’d agree — the song moves fast enough that you barely notice how much lyrical ground it covers. The vocal trade-offs between members give the track a conversational, almost argumentative energy that fits the subject matter. It’s not a single, but it’s one of those deep cuts that makes the case for listening to Force Majeure front to back.
The New Alphabet
Clocking in at over four minutes, “The New Alphabet” is the longest song on Force Majeure and gives the band room to stretch into moodier, more post-punk territory without losing their identity. Reviewers have pointed to it, alongside “What Else?,” as proof that Delivery can venture beyond straightforward garage-punk sprints. The extended runtime lets the arrangement breathe, with more space between the guitar lines than you’ll find on the album’s shorter, punchier tracks. It rewards close, headphone listening in a way some of the record’s faster songs don’t.
Deadlines
“Deadlines” captures that specific, low-grade panic of watching a to-do list pile up, and the music matches the mood with a tense, driving energy. It’s one of the tracks that best showcases the band’s five-way vocal interplay, with lines seemingly handed off between singers mid-verse. The rhythm section — courtesy of drummer Daniel Devlin — locks in tight here, giving the song a propulsive backbone that never lets up. It’s a track that translates surprisingly well to a workout playlist, which feels almost too fitting given the subject matter.
Focus, Right
There’s a wry, self-aware humor running through “Focus, Right” that several longtime fans have called out as an early favorite from Force Majeure. The title itself reads like a mantra you’d mutter to yourself trying to get through a distracted afternoon, and the arrangement mirrors that scattered energy with quick tempo shifts. Guitarist Sam Harding’s tone throughout the record — recorded and produced alongside James Lynch — has a scrappy immediacy that suits this song’s restless mood particularly well. It’s a strong entry point if you want a taste of the album without committing to the full 40 minutes.
Only A Fool
“Only A Fool” is arguably the emotional center of Force Majeure, and critics have called it out as a defining moment that captures the band’s collaborative songwriting at its most adventurous. At over four minutes, it gives the group space to build tension and release it in a way that feels genuinely earned rather than padded. The production, mixed by Jonathan Boulet and mastered by Mikey Young, gives the song a fuller, more layered low end than some of the band’s earlier work. If you only have time for one deep cut off this record, make it this one.
Put Your Back Into It
Reviewers have described “Put Your Back Into It” as raging and racing along, complete with a brief but memorable guitar solo, and that’s exactly the energy it brings late in the Force Majeure tracklist. It functions almost like a pep talk turned punk song, all forward momentum and shouted encouragement. The interplay between the two guitars — Lynch’s and Harding’s — gives the track a denser wall of sound than the record’s earlier, sparser cuts. It’s a great example of Delivery using tempo and volume as a storytelling tool rather than just noise for noise’s sake.
Exacto
Closing out Force Majeure, “Exacto” leans into a nervy, slightly funky quirkiness that reviewers have noted feels almost improvised — a genuine album-ending jam that shows off the band’s live chemistry. It’s the kind of closer that makes you want to immediately flip back to “Digging The Hole” and start the record again. The looseness here is a deliberate contrast to the tightly wound tracks earlier in the album, and it works because the band has earned that release by then. On record or live, it’s a fitting note to end a “greater force” of an album on, which is exactly what the title Force Majeure means.
Picture This
Jump back to 2022 and the opening track of Forever Giving Handshakes, and you get “Picture This” — a pulsating, rhythm-forward introduction that critics have called one of the tightest sounding post-punk debuts of that year. It immediately establishes the record’s signature: up to three guitars bouncing off each other while five members trade vocal duties. There’s a real sense of controlled chaos here, songs threatening to fall apart before snapping back into formation, which mirrors the band’s own rollercoaster-themed album art. For anyone discovering Delivery for the first time, this is still the best possible entry point into their discography, and you’ll find plenty more like it if you browse our full songs archive.
Poor-to-Middling Moneymaking
Named a key track by The Fire Note and singled out as a Bandcamp fan favorite, “Poor-to-Middling Moneymaking” pairs a self-deprecating title with a genuinely infectious garage-rock groove. It sits comfortably in that “dolewave” lineage of scrappy, broke-and-honest Australian guitar music, all fuzzed-out tone and unpretentious charm. The song’s title alone tells you everything about the band’s sense of humor — wry, self-aware, and never taking itself too seriously even when the subject is financial anxiety. It’s one of those tracks that sounds even better the tenth time you hear it.
Baader Meinhof
The lead single from Forever Giving Handshakes, “Baader Meinhof” is Delivery’s signature song for good reason. It’s built around the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon — the cognitive bias where you notice something once and then start seeing it everywhere — and singer Rebecca Allan leans into that theme of overthinking with real charisma. Musically, it’s a springy burst of synth-punk energy, blending a Casio-style keyboard hook with a punky attitude that press outlets have called the album’s most triumphant moment. The karaoke-themed music video, directed by James Devlin and Sam Lyons, only adds to the song’s charm, and it remains the track most likely to convert a first-time listener into a fan.
Office Party
Following “Baader Meinhof” on the tracklist, “Office Party” keeps the energy high with a wiry, riff-driven arrangement that fits neatly into the record’s workplace-adjacent lyrical universe. There’s a sardonic edge to the song’s take on forced corporate fun, delivered with the same communal singalong quality that defines so much of Forever Giving Handshakes. Guitarist Sam Harding’s production choices — he recorded and mixed the entire album himself — give the track a bright, present mix that lets every vocalist cut through clearly. It’s a great example of how the band mines mundane, everyday settings for genuinely catchy songwriting.
The Complex
“The Complex” digs into knottier, more angular territory, and it’s easy to hear why critics have drawn comparisons to Television and Pylon when this track comes on. The interlocking guitar parts feel almost architectural, each line supporting the others without ever crowding the mix. It’s a slower burn than some of the album’s more immediate singles, but that patience pays off in the song’s tension-and-release structure. If you’re into arrangement details, this is a good one to study on repeat listens.
Lifetimer
Named a key track by The Fire Note’s album review, “Lifetimer” is one of Forever Giving Handshakes‘ most quietly devastating moments. It trades some of the record’s manic energy for a more reflective, melodic approach, without losing the band’s core identity. The vocal performance here feels especially raw, carrying a weight that sneaks up on you after the album’s earlier bursts of punk energy. It’s proof that Delivery can do more than just fast and loud, even if fast and loud is what first got them noticed.
Wear It Well
“Wear It Well” leans into the album’s garage-pop instincts, with a hook-forward chorus that’s built for group singalongs — a hallmark of this band’s live shows. The song’s title works as both a literal and figurative nod to resilience, wrapped in an arrangement that never overstays its welcome. There’s a real sense of chemistry in how the five vocalists layer harmonies here, something that comes through even more clearly live than on record. It’s an underrated cut that deserves more attention than it usually gets.
No Balconies
“No Balconies” brings a slightly moodier, more atmospheric texture to the back half of Forever Giving Handshakes, contrasting nicely with the album’s punchier opening run. The interplay between rhythm guitar and bass feels more spacious here, giving Daniel Devlin’s drumming room to add subtle fills rather than just driving tempo. Lyrically, it fits the album’s recurring theme of navigating cramped, chaotic urban life — a fitting subject for a band that formed in inner-Melbourne lockdown share houses. It’s one of those songs that reveals new details every time you revisit it.
Born Second
“Born Second” carries a scrappy urgency that recalls the band’s earliest 7-inch releases, back when Delivery were still finding their footing as a live act. There’s an underdog energy baked into both the title and the performance, a track that feels like it’s fighting to be heard and winning that fight in real time. The vocal trade-offs between members again do a lot of heavy lifting, keeping the song from ever settling into one single perspective. It’s a deep cut that longtime fans tend to champion over the album’s more obvious singles.
Best Western
Closing out Forever Giving Handshakes, “Best Western” is the longest track on the record and arguably its most complete statement — critics have praised its impeccable rhythm, timing, and guitar crunch as the perfect way to cap the album. It ties together everything that makes this band special: rotating lead vocals, three-guitar interplay, and a controlled-chaos energy that never actually spirals out of control. The song builds patiently before delivering one of the record’s most cathartic final stretches, the kind of ending that makes you want to hit play again immediately. Whether you’re listening on a good pair of over-ears or checking out our headphone comparison guide to find the right setup for a record this detail-rich, “Best Western” rewards close, attentive listening.
Taken together, these twenty songs tell the story of a band that’s gotten sharper and more ambitious without losing the scrappy DIY spirit that made Forever Giving Handshakes such a word-of-mouth success. Force Majeure pushes the arrangements further and the production is noticeably fuller, but the core of what makes Delivery great — five voices, three guitars, zero pretension — hasn’t changed a bit. If you’re building out a playlist to test these tracks properly, it’s also worth checking our earbuds comparison guide, since a lot of the detail in these mixes — the layered backing vocals, the guitar panning — really opens up with a decent pair of buds rather than laptop speakers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is Delivery’s music?
Delivery are generally classified as a garage-punk and post-punk band, though their sound also pulls in synth-punk, indie rock, and dolewave influences. Critics have compared them to acts like Devo, Television, Pixies, Pylon, Amyl and the Sniffers, Parquet Courts, and Wire, though the band’s rotating five-way vocal approach gives them a distinct identity of their own.
What is Delivery’s best album?
Both of Delivery’s studio albums have their champions. Forever Giving Handshakes (2022) is often praised as one of the tightest post-punk debuts of its year, while Force Majeure (2025) is generally considered a more ambitious, textured evolution of that sound, released through UK label Heavenly Recordings. Which one is “better” really comes down to whether you prefer raw immediacy or more layered songwriting.
Who are the members of Delivery?
Delivery is a Melbourne, Australia five-piece featuring Rebecca Allan on vocals and bass, James Lynch on vocals, guitar, and synth, Sam Harding on vocals, guitar, and cello, Lisa Rashleigh on vocals and guitar, and Daniel Devlin on drums and percussion. All five members contribute vocals across both albums, creating the band’s signature group-harmony sound.
What is “Baader Meinhof” by Delivery about?
The song takes its name and central idea from the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, a cognitive bias where noticing something for the first time makes you start noticing it everywhere. Singer Rebecca Allan has described the track as being about the annoyance of letting your brain play tricks on you through overthinking, wrapped in a springy synth-punk arrangement.
Where can I listen to Delivery’s music?
Delivery’s catalogue, including both studio albums and earlier singles and 7-inch releases, is available on major streaming platforms as well as Bandcamp, where the band also sells vinyl and cassette editions directly. Bandcamp tends to be the best source for liner notes, credits, and behind-the-scenes context on each release.