BUSH's GAVIN ROSSDALE: 'If In Doubt, Go Heavy'

In a new interview with Crews of Q92.9, Springfield's Rock Station, BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale was asked how he has managed to balance honoring the band's legacy while pushing forward creatively. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a fucking nightmare. [I'm] trying to think about it all the time so that I don't… I don't wanna get lost in the changes.

"Many heavy festivals that we played, festivals with other heavy bands, we always chose all the songs on every record that are detuned — a few of the hits and the detuned songs," he explained. "That's all we played. So from [2020's] 'The Kingdom' [album], I decided to be more mindful of where our future was, which was playing live, festivals, big shows. And so to think about that, I just thought, when I did the INSTITUTE record [in 2005], that was a whole detuned record… And I said a ballad in standard tuning is fine because it doesn't matter; you're not looking to have any heavy moments. But I just got into that tuning thing just to keep it… And it's not so much more following the trends of other people. It's more like people get used to that sound. And so I wanna be able to compete and for people to love the band and not think, like, 'Oh, that sound is so of a time.' Like, if you play every song only from the first three records, it will sound a certain way. But then all these songs we do now are so detuned that they just have a different feeling."

Gavin added: "I love it, because people say, for instance, 'More Than Machines' [from 2022's 'The Art Of Survival' album], for example, people are, like, 'Yeah, it sounds like the old BUSH.' I'm, like, 'In no way it sounds like the old BUSH.' It's a completely different tuning and everything, but what they meant, 'cause when people talk about music, they don't always use the right words. So I can't jump on people who don't use the right vocab. What they're saying is it's got this same energy and it's vital and it's like I'm singing full out. So that's what I think it is, that it is, like, forthright and it's got this kind of energy and attitude about it. And I love that.

"A big fear or a danger I see a lot of happening to a lot of people, and I don't wanna happen to me, is I don't wanna make records that aren't magnetic and aren't vital," he explained. "I could write a record a week. I'm not saying it's gonna be any good, but I could physically do it, but I don't know how much magnetism would be in the songs. And so you have to wait for the ones that have the magnets in them so people can really be… Somehow I've got a sixth sense so far in my life. The songs that I hear people do that are kind of phoned in and not really — I don't know — there's no vitality to them, there's no blood in them, and they're sort of anodyne. I hate that. And again, the detuned stuff really helps me to get into that world of a bit weirder. But anyway, RADIOHEAD never needed detuned guitars to sound incredible and sound like one of the greatest bands ever. So it doesn't really matter. I did follow the trends of keeping it heavy, I suppose. I thought heavy is better. If in doubt, go heavy."

As previously reported, BUSH will embark on a U.S. tour this spring. Support on the trek, which will launch on April 7 in Pittsburgh, will come from MAMMOTH and JAMES AND THE COLD GUN.

BUSH's latest studio album, "I Beat Loneliness", came out in July 2025 via earMUSIC.

Produced by Rossdale and Erik Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, SET IT OFF, BAD OMEN),"I Beat Loneliness" marked BUSH's tenth studio LP — a powerful testament to the band's enduring legacy and continued evolution.

2024 marked the 30th anniversary of the release of BUSH's six-times-platinum debut album, "Sixteen Stone".

BUSH released "Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023" in November 2023 via Round Hill Records. The set included a new song called "Nowhere To Go But Everywhere", which was written by Gavin and produced by Rossdale and Corey Britz.

BUSH's current lineup consists of Rossdale, Chris Traynor (guitar),Corey Britz (bass) and Nik Hughes (drums).

BUSH broke up in 2002 but reformed in 2010, and has since released six albums: "The Sea of Memories" (2011),"Man On The Run" (2014),"Black And White Rainbows" (2017),"The Kingdom" (2020),"The Art Of Survival" (2022) and "I Beat Loneliness" (2025).

"Black And White Rainbows" was crafted after Rossdale went through a divorce with pop star/reality TV judge Gwen Stefani in 2015.

Photo credit: Chapman Baehler (courtesy of Cosa Nostra PR and earMUSIC)