Australian songwriter Alex Lahey will mark the 10th anniversary of her breakthrough EP B-Grade University with an expanded reissue featuring new recordings, including an updated version of ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’ with Canadian duo Tegan & Sarah.
by Paul Cashmere
Alex Lahey will revisit the record that launched her career with the release of B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) on July 17 through ADA. The anniversary package expands on the original 2016 EP with new recordings, alternate versions and archival material, while also coinciding with a run of solo United States tour dates scheduled for July.
The reissue centres on a newly recorded version of ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’, the song that first introduced Lahey to a wider audience a decade ago. The updated track features guest vocals from Tegan and Sara, artists who toured with Lahey during the early stages of her international rise.
In a joint statement accompanying the release, Tegan and Sara reflected on first hearing Lahey’s music during the mid-2010s Australian indie rock surge. “The first time I heard Alex Lahey, I remember thinking, oh, this is the artist I wish I was, but don’t quite have the lungs to pull off being,” they said. “Going from watching her sing ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’ from side stage to singing on it for the ‘B-Grade University’ ten-year re-release feels like a full-circle moment.”
The original B-Grade University EP arrived in July 2016 and quickly established Lahey as one of Australia’s emerging alternative voices. The release produced the breakthrough single ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’ and positioned her for appearances at major festivals including Splendour In The Grass.
The expanded edition adds several reinterpretations and companion recordings to the original five-track release. Alongside the Tegan and Sara collaboration is a new version of ‘Let’s Go Out’ featuring Melbourne band Slowly Slowly, alternate “bathroom” and “bedroom” versions of songs originally revisited during the pandemic-era Between the Kitchen and the Living Room sessions, and a 2017 Triple J Like A Version in-studio performance.
Lahey said revisiting the songs brought her back to the earliest stages of her career in Melbourne’s inner south. “I vividly remember writing this collection of songs in my childhood bedroom at my mum’s house next to a small window where I could catch glimpses of the ever-expanding edges of the Melbourne city landscape,” she said.
She also recalled financing the original sessions independently, selling her blue Toyota Corolla, nicknamed the “Corolls Royce”, and taking on day jobs to fund studio time. “I am not exaggerating when I say this EP completely changed my life,” Lahey said. “These songs found their place in the world in a way I could have never fathomed.”
The reissue arrives during a period where catalogue anniversaries and expanded editions have become increasingly important across the music industry, particularly for artists whose early streaming-era releases developed cult audiences before vinyl demand accelerated. For Lahey, the anniversary also underlines the longevity of a catalogue that began in Australia’s independent scene before expanding internationally through releases on Dead Oceans and later Liberation Records.
Since the release of her debut album I Love You Like A Brother in 2017, Lahey has built a career that extends beyond solo recordings. Her second album The Best of Luck Club arrived in 2019, followed by 2023’s The Answer Is Always Yes. Across that period she has collaborated as a songwriter and producer with artists including Gordi, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers and Maggie Lindemann.
Outside music, Lahey has expanded into broadcasting and longform commentary. Earlier this year she launched the sports and culture podcast AL, Kate & All Their Mates alongside former AFLW player Kate McCarthy, while also continuing her newsletter Throwing Up Into The Abyss, which combines personal essays, recommendations and commentary.
The release of B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) also reinforces how influential Lahey’s early songwriting remains within Australian alternative music. Songs such as ‘Every Day’s The Weekend’, ‘I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself’ and ‘Congratulations’ helped establish a distinctly conversational style that resonated with younger audiences navigating identity, relationships and adulthood during the streaming era.
Lahey’s July American tour will support the reissue ahead of what is expected to be further anniversary activity around the project later in the year.
B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) Tracklisting:
Ivy League
Let’s Go Out
Wes Anderson
You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me
L-L-L-Leave Me Alone
You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me (feat. Tegan and Sara)
Let’s Go Out (feat. Slowly Slowly)
Wes Anderson – Bathroom Version
Let’s Go Out – Bedroom Version
You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me (triple j Like A Version)
B-Grade Reunion Tour (Solo US Dates)
Thu. July 16, San Francisco, CA, Cafe Du Nord
Fri. July 17, Los Angeles, CA, Permanent Records
Sat. July 18, San Diego, CA, Soda Bar
Tue. July 21, Minneapolis, MN, 7th St. Entry
Wed. July 22, Chicago, IL, Schubas
Thu. July 23, New York, NY, Nightclub 101
Sat. July 25, Washington, DC, Songbyrd
Sun. July 26, Boston, MA, Middle East (Upstairs)
Ticketing and vinyl pre-order details are available via Alex Lahey’s Official Website
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