GAVIN ROSSDALE Is 'In The Middle' Of Making BUSH's Eleventh Album: 'I Want It To Be Brilliant, Or Else There's Really No Point'

On June 13 at the Download festival at Donington Park in Castle Donington, United Kingdom, BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale was asked by TotalRock's "Hobo On The Radio" show about how his songwriting process has changed over the years. Gavin said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I just love making music, and to me writing songs is my favorite thing to do, and I try and push myself and challenge myself. There's a lot of inspiration with all the heavier music that I like. And just finding a way to... I'm never gonna try and be a screamer, but I do love having the kind of sexier, heavier, detuned world. I find it really interesting and inspiring. And that's where I like to kind of ply my trade right now of writing. And I like that. And I feel more connected to that underbelly and that wild world. And then I have to put my spin on it, and [BUSH's latest album] 'I Beat Loneliness' is an example of that. But I love music, and I find it mysterious as well. So I think that sometimes those mysterious bits, the weirdest bits I don't understand, are the ones that kind of give me the better songs."

Elaborating on the evolution of his songwriting process, Gavin said: "There's a funny, weird instinct. I feel that I've got better at editing myself, but I'm even more harsh than ever. And so, I just consider that I've done 10 records. I'm in the middle of making another one, and I want it to be brilliant, or else there's really no fucking point. There's no point in just bringing out a record. You can write a record but you gotta write the record. So that's all I'm interested in, is trying to be as brilliant as I can, because why not? Why not reach for the stars at all times? And I chuck a load of stuff out that I don't like or I don't think is good. So I don't consider myself so great that I'm, like, everything I do or say is wonderful. A lot of the time I'm, like, 'Nah. Don't. Stop that.' … Often I'll write a whole set of words, five, six lines, to get to what starts to be interesting. And you're not gonna get to the line six onwards unless you leapfrog, stepping stone, across the kind of, 'All right, start this,' whatever. So I just feel better at editing. Yeah, that's what it is."

BUSH's tenth studio album, "I Beat Loneliness" came out in July 2025 via earMUSIC. The LP was produced by Rossdale and Erik Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, SET IT OFF, BAD OMEN).

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)