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Between new releases from Skunk Anansie, Rubbish, Pulp and Suede, the (already tedious) stay return of Oasis, and saggy denims and plaid shirts making a pleasingly cozy comeback, the 90s are again with aplomb in 2025, a lot to the delight and slight age-related horror of these of us whose misspent youth traversed that decade.
So Bush ought to slot straight again in with I Beat Loneliness, their tenth album, and sixth since they re-formed in 2010. And but, largely as a result of they had been at all times extra profitable within the US than their UK homeland, they continue to be on the surface of all of it, their sound nonetheless tailor-made to the American radio stations that made them millionaires.
Correctly, they’ve chosen to maintain on doing what they know the most effective – certainly, what they’ve been doing since their debut Sixteen Stone hit in 1994 – and the primary half of the document churns out one blustery grunge rocker after one other. However protecting a musical theme collectively makes a variety of sense when the lyrical journey begins to disclose itself, frontman Gavin Rossdale delving into an exploration of self-harm, psychological well being struggles, restoration, survival and the urge to achieve out a serving to hand to anybody else who is likely to be struggling.
The latter lightens the load on the songs, Rossdale’s deep, typically doomy vocals taking over a barely brighter observe when the seek for hope involves the forefront. Facet A may be very a lot enterprise as normal, then, aimed firmly on the followers who’ve caught with Bush over the previous three a long time and know precisely what they need from the band.
It’s after we hit facet two that issues get a bit of bit extra ingenious, turning a nook on We Are Of This Earth, which brings issues down a notch with a dreamy, spacey, mournful little little bit of echoing shoegaze. It’s a second of magnificence that provides pause for thought and paves the way in which for the uncooked honesty of Everybody Is Damaged, a stripped-back, mild name for kindness and solidarity, with candy gang vocals within the refrain driving residence the concept of all of us being on this messy previous life collectively.
It’s not essentially the most formidable document on the planet – at this stage of their profession Bush don’t appear to be attempting to seize a brand new viewers or to chase the zeitgeist – however I Beat Loneliness does give the impression of a band reaching out to the listeners they know are already there and providing the consolation of emotional understanding and musical familiarity.