Above image via Instagram: @bush and @josephllanes
Giovanni Mori | Posted August 21st, 2025
One of the pioneers of post-grunge, Bush, known for classic alternative rock tunes like “Machinehead,” “Comedown,” and “The Chemicals Between Us,” have returned last month with their tenth studio album, I Beat Loneliness. The 90s band crafted twelve new songs in the middle of a relentless touring schedule, celebrating the release of their 2023 greatest hits compilation album, Loaded, and performed with other notable bands and artists of the same genre including Filter, Bad Wolves, Candlebox, and Jerry Cantrell.
With their consistently growing monthly listener count, it’s clear listeners are still enjoying every second of the band’s music since their first and most popular release from 1994, Sixteen Stone. Fast forward over thirty years later, here’s what 2025’s I Beat Loneliness has to offer.
track 1: scars
YouTube: Bush
The genre-bending track, “Scars,” calls back to the band’s electronic music influence, similarly from their 1999 album, The Science of Things. In the verses, listeners sit with a tribal percussion rhythm showered by lead vocalist Gavin Rossdale’s echoing melodies for nearly a full minute, when all of a sudden, the song’s chorus hits us with a left hook of a powerful heavy metal sound blasting in our ear drums. The song’s structure repeats back and forth between the two vastly different sections, keeping the listener’s excitement in waves during its three and a half minute runtime.
The album opener introduces a much darker tone compared to past releases when considering the moody guitar riff, sounding as if it was stolen from a Helmet or Linkin Park song, and bleak pain-ridden lyrics like “I forget slowly, forgive last, forbidden fruit brings sweet despair, only pain is a focus for release” (1:02-1:16), and who could forget the unsettling lead guitar in the song’s bridge section? At first listen, “Scars” is the start of a very personal album for the band, and listeners can rightly assume there’s a lot more emotion to be felt for the remaining eleven tracks.
track 2: I Beat loneliness
YouTube: Bush
Speaking of which, the album’s title track arguably turns out to be one of the most emotional songs in Bush’s career. The opening guitar riff is packed with nu metal influence from the early 2000s, but what may keep listeners locked in are the harmonizing violins in the background. The stringed instrument is obviously not found often in rock and metal music, but has become somewhat of a staple throughout Bush’s discography, and their tenth album is no exception.
As we listen to more of Rossdale’s deep vocals throughout our verses, it doesn’t take long for the tune to finally blossom into a beautiful chorus section that feels almost like listening to a symphony, full of loud guitars and drums, more violins, and a melody that’ll bring tears to your eyes. A song about not giving in to desperation, “I Beat Loneliness” definitely has a different tone from “Scars,” and is proof even music full of despair can also be full of beauty.
track 3: The land of milk and honey
YouTube: earMUSIC
“The Land Of Milk And Honey” is the album’s third track, starting out very bass driven to set the tone of the heavy song. Our guitars are tuned down to a low A note, which fills our instrumental with some of the lowest notes ever heard by human ears.
As one of the album’s promotional singles, it continues where Bush left off from their last two albums, 2022’s The Art of Survival and 2020’s The Kingdom, with a modern metal sound and rebellious political undertone the band has never been afraid to express, just look at lyrics like “I wasn’t born in a cage, I am free to remain, I feel a darkness I can’t resist” (0:05-0:13), and later in the song’s chorus, “Feels like the land of milk and honey, feels right we love the taste of money” (0:39-0:48).
The breakdowns in the between each chorus and in the bridge are small, but powerful moments that will floor metalheads, and are extremely reminiscent of 2000s and 2010s music from alternative metal bands like Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin, both of which Bush has toured with in recent years and developed a shared fanbase.
track 4: we’re all the same on the inside
YouTube: Bush
“We’re All The Same On The Inside,” a song about unity, is also bass heavy from the moment we press play, and feels more enunciated as we can clearly hear the guitar pick scrape along the strings. This, combined with our drums and percussion having more of an upbeat pop music influence, works well together for the track’s tight rhythm section.
Our guitars on the other hand, seem to concentrate more on strumming big chord progressions than low riffs, which become more apparent when we reach the song’s striking chorus section. Just when listeners start to miss the single note riffs, our bridge section comes out swinging, heavy as ever and utilizing the drop tuned open strings on the guitars, leaving fans unable to resist letting their hair down and headbanging to its half-time feel.
Rossdale’s vocals move into high baritone territory reaching notes as high as an F4, and while it isn’t his highest note ever sung in his career, it’s satisfying to hear Rossdale, known for his lower range, push himself wherever he can. In no time, this catchy track will have fans shouting “Don’t stand in my blindside” (0:51-0:58) either at live shows or by themselves while blasting the album on their headphones.
track 5: i am here to save your life
YouTube: Bush
Track number five of the album, “I Am Here To Save Your Life,” starts off with an EDM techno melody, which is very unusual for a band like Bush, but then returns to familiar territory with an explosive rock sound not long after.
The song carries a piece of the heaviness from 90s grunge, reminiscent of bands like Soundgarden and Alice In Chains, but also continues to use Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy style of EDM to its advantage. It’s this along with melodic single note leads in the verses that make the guitar work on this song steal the show, packing new guitar effects and sounds from reverb to distortion, and as a result, turns the song into one of the album’s louder and more energetic tracks.
“I Am Here To Save Your Life” is a song full of rage, and if listeners don’t feel it from the brooding instrumental, they certainly will from lyrics like “If you see Buddha, kill him, if you see God, you’re tripping, redemption is a song, shame on you” (1:08-1:25).
track 6: 60 ways to forget people
YouTube: Bush
Nearing I Beat Loneliness‘s halfway point, we come across the fireball lead single released a few months prior to the full album, “60 Ways To Forget People.” As the first taste of the album for diehard fans, this song is stuffed with alternative metal instrumentals, more low tuned guitars, octave chords, and grunge style vocals in only two minutes and forty eight seconds, making it the shortest track on the album.
The song doesn’t give listeners a chance to breathe as each section seems to squeeze themselves in from one verse and chorus to another. While there are some moments which could’ve been built upon for more effect like the buildup in the prechorus or the outro, it still makes for a strong track using open string riffs, catchy drums, and rebellious chants in the vocals.
“60 Ways To Forget People” was just a taste for what was to come, but after listening to the previous five tracks with six more to go, it’s refreshing to know it wasn’t everything the band had to offer.
track 7: love me till the pain fades
YouTube: Bush
Bush takes the electronic influence to the extreme with “Love Me Til The Pain Fades,” using hip hop beats to keep the song’s momentum in the verses, surrounding a moody bassline progression. The energy on the seventh track is dialed back, but still maintains the right amount of groove to keep fans hooked. Quick chord hits on the guitars keep it simple and powerful, and as we move through each section, we’re once again based more around chord patterns than riffs similar to “We’re All The Same On The Inside.”
The sustained Stone Temple Pilots-esque vocal melody in the chorus is as emotional as it can get for the band, which feels more like a cry for help as we hear Rossdale sing the song’s lengthy title. The song feels very droney, which not only was a defining characteristic of grunge and alternative rock, but also made for real catchy hooks that made the genre so memorable, and is not something even diehard rock fans would expect to hear in 2025.
track 8: we are of this earth
YouTube: Bush
“We Are Of This Earth” explores the dream pop genre with electronic percussion that feels more representative of a heartbeat, and muffled guitar chords that sounds like they’ve been shoved underwater.
This track could’ve easily been mistaken as a song from the band’s early years, which old school fans will surely appreciate hearing. We aren’t reliant on a full rock band sound as opposed to previous tracks, but these lighter moments partway through the album has been a very common feature among other Bush releases with songs like “Inflatable,” “Letting The Cables Sleep,” and even their most popular track to date, “Glycerine,” and now fans can add “We Are Of This Earth” to that list as well.
The quick syllables in the chorus melody don’t feel like you’re being sung to, but rather spoken to, which somehow feels even more personal for listeners and fans trying to stay connected with one another. As much as we love heavy hitters and loud rock songs, “We Are Of This Earth” makes for a good change of pace in the album, and is a song that completely subverts expectations from the post-grunge music genre.
track 9: everyone is broken
YouTube: Bush
“Everyone Is Broken” picks up right where “We Are Of This Earth” leaves off at another slow tempo along with a distorted chord progression placed front and center, giving us more of a pop rock vibe similar to bands like Gin Blossoms and Third Eye Blind, and there’s no doubt Rossdale is behind the wheel on each memorable guitar chord progression despite recently taking on more of a frontman role.
A chorus line is featured to support the song’s uplifting hook, and like the last track, is also not reliant on a full band sound, although it would’ve been a much more satisfying conclusion to have it all come full circle with the rest of the band on at least the last chorus as a way of not repeating the last track’s formula. Regardless, “Everyone Is Broken” is still another nice track for fans of the band’s softer side, and in future live performances, would be a great addition to their slower cooldown portions of their setlists.
track 10: don’t be afraid
YouTube: Bush
We’re back to a full band sound with “Don’t Be Afraid.” At mid tempo, we’re given more momentum in the track with a full drum kit, as well as the percussiveness of an acoustic guitar slicing its way through each of the strings. The song is very melancholy, using spacey single notes in the guitars behind an etherial synth sound to help keep it all grounded. Here, after a lot of instrumentation heard in other tracks, it seems the band is achieving more with less.
The post-rock style track keeps listeners floating in midair during its five minute runtime, becoming the longest track on the album. Musically, the tune sounds like one of the album’s sadder songs at first glance, but as it turns out, may actually be very soothing for listeners. As the title suggests, the song’s lyrics are about moving forward through struggle and difficult times, Rossdale sings in our bridge “Sometimes we’re closer than we say, sometimes we want it all to go away” (3:37-3:56).
track 11: footsteps in the sand
YouTube: Bush
“Footsteps In The Sand” is another genre-bending track, bringing back EDM while also returning to the rock world with a Rage Against the Machine inspired guitar riff, and once again is followed by massive chords during the song’s hook.
If the transition from hip hop beats to crunchy guitars aren’t enough to put listeners on the edge of their seat, the booming double snare hit in the second half of each chorus will. Out of left field, we’re eventually hit with a crushing System of a Down-like bridge section full of rapid low notes all over the guitar neck, easily becoming the heaviest section in the song and arguably on the entire album.
Lyrically, the track is about someone living his way in and out of darkness, and no doubt references to some type of loneliness or depression. Rossdale’s low vocal style and melody choice blends well with the instrumentation, and although a lower range may feel like a limitation to some, Rossdale still has no trouble creating catchy hooks. As the beat fades behind the ringing guitar chord, the curtain to the album’s heaviest and darkest track falls.
track 12: rebel with a cause
YouTube: Bush
Our twelfth and final track, “Rebel With A Cause,” is a quieter tune almost putting us in the singer-songwriter genre. We begin immediately with the first verse, and a descending chord progression of a clean and crisp guitar sound. The instrumentation starts out in its simplest form, but the chord arpeggiation and small lead parts give the song new life in the second verse, as well as each of the track’s chorus sections, and almost feels like each note heard is harmonizing right alongside Rossdale.
As the closer to the heavy and personal I Beat Loneliness, the final track’s meaning is about being unable to change, while also longing for connection through chaos and destruction. It’s a lyrically bleak tune as our narrator seems to be on the verge of giving up, but still attempts give himself purpose, reaching for a light at the end of the tunnel despite all he has been through. The song cuts off abruptly in the outro and is one of the shorter tracks of the album at just over three minutes, ending the song at its highest point and drawing a close to one of Bush’s heaviest, deepest, and darkest records.
After nine previous albums and so many avenues of the rock and metal genre in 2025, it’s clear Bush never wants to do the same thing twice. Not only do they continue to expand, but they consistently provide excellence with each release, and as a result, I Beat Loneliness may just be the band’s best work since the 90s.
Bush is currently on the road in the US with Morgan Wade and Shinedown as part of their busy 2025 touring schedule with only a few dates remaining, and will later tour Europe for the remainder of the year alongside Witch Fever and Volbeat starting September 18th. Listen to I Beat Loneliness and learn all the words to sing along to before they come near your city!
Above image via Instagram: @bush
Sources
“BUSH – ’60 Ways To Forget People’ [Official Lyric Video]” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 Apr. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXk3jX0ykf4&list=RDCXk3jX0ykf4&start_radio=1
Bush [@bush]. Band Photo. Instagram, photographed by Joseph Llanes, 14 Apr. 2025, https://www.instagram.com/p/DIcHIWfBrBF/
Bush [@bush]. Tour Promo. Instagram, 19 June 2025, https://www.instagram.com/p/DLGWqvGhduQ/
“BUSH – ‘Scars’ [Official Music Video]” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 29 July 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SyhVDWDNLY&list=RD3SyhVDWDNLY&start_radio=1
“BUSH – The Land Of Milk And Honey (Official Video)” YouTube, uploaded by earMUSIC, 6 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55UjsX7XKno&list=RD55UjsX7XKno&start_radio=1
“Don’t Be Afraid” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en8zC-HiYWA&list=RDen8zC-HiYWA&start_radio=1
“Everyone Is Broken” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBSs9-Hkoag&list=RDyBSs9-Hkoag&start_radio=1
“Footsteps In The Sand” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC5DDCYRSTI&list=RDbC5DDCYRSTI&start_radio=1
“I Am Here To Save Your Life” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9R_YE9STPg&list=RDO9R_YE9STPg&start_radio=1
“I Beat Loneliness” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 July 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItZa9wDZCBE&list=RDItZa9wDZCBE&start_radio=1
“Love Me Till The Pain Fades” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6LLng5zX3A&list=RDL6LLng5zX3A&start_radio=1
“Rebel With A Cause” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl1PlaZ9l4A&list=RDNl1PlaZ9l4A&start_radio=1
“We Are Of This Earth” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8breLfKbPN0&list=RD8breLfKbPN0&start_radio=1
“We’re All The Same On The Inside” YouTube, uploaded by Bush, 17 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuUUM-SEE10&list=RDcuUUM-SEE10&start_radio=1
