Interview by Kris Peters
English alternative rock band Bush initially gained popularity in the mid-1990s, particularly in the United States, with their debut album Sixteen Stone. While initially labelled as grunge or post-grunge, Bush carved out their own space with a blend of heavy riffs, catchy melodies, and frontman Gavin Rossdale's distinctive vocals. After a hiatus, the band reunited in 2010 and continues to release music and tour successfully, with a loyal fan base that feels connected with the band due to their honest and decisive lyrics.
Bush's sound has been described as a mix of grunge, post-grunge, alternative rock, and hard rock, and while some critics initially dismissed them as grunge imitators, particularly of Nirvana, Bush developed their own unique style, characterized by powerful guitar riffs, memorable hooks, and Rossdale's vocals, which ranged from aggressive to melodic.
This is perhaps never more evident than on Bush's latest album, I Beat Loneliness, a deeply personal release highlighting a sense of vulnerability coupled with other serious issues such as men's mental health and dealing with associated problems.
With I Beat Loneliness having been out for almost one month now, HEAVY took the time to speak with Rossdale to dive even deeper, starting by asking how the early reception has been for the new album.
"It's been fantastic, really amazing across the board," he smiled. "It's a great reception to a record that is finding its way connecting with people, and this has been a really fun time. It feels like a body of work, as opposed to like cracking on one song for like six months, you know?"
We ask Rossdale to go into greater detail about I Beat Loneliness musically and what he was going for with it.
"For me, music is still an experiment," he began, "and I'm still 25% I don't understand about it, or probably even more. And so every song I write is a form of experimentation for me, and just diving into these different worlds. I'm finding a lot in the detuned world, and then a lot in the soft sense you can have. I can create these worlds to write in, because I have a weird, weird skill set. I go into banks of sound, and I can do it really fast. I've done it for years where I had to listen to other people going through them slowly, but now I've got my own studio, I can go through things really quick. You find these great moments that create these atmospheres with keyboards, and so I just write in those worlds."
In the full interview, Gavin described his creative process as an experimental journey through various sonic landscapes, using sound banks to create unique atmospheres. He emphasized the album's themes of hope and authenticity, aiming to resonate with listeners' vulnerabilities and address mental health issues, sharing a poignant experience where a fan credited his music with saving their life, prompting him to reflect on his own past and the importance of kindness in the world.
We spoke about his approach to music and finding the best in himself, not just as a songwriter, but as a person. Gavin explained the reasons for starting the album with the song Scars and how it introduces the listener to the heavy content to come. We spoke about the importance of music in moments of stress and the healing qualities it can provide, possible Australian tour plans and more.
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