Bush I Beat Loneliness
Bush's I Beat Loneliness arrives as a candid, late-career statement that frames alienation and recovery through both muscular grunge and electronics-tinged atmospherics. Across professional reviews the record earned a 69/100 consensus score from four reviews, and critics repeatedly point to its quieter, more confessional moments as the album's emotional core. Standout tracks cited by multiple reviewers include “We Are Of This Earth”, “Scars” and the title song “I Beat Loneliness”, each highlighted for their mix of raw lyricism and textural ambition.
Critics agree that the collection balances 90s revival grit with modern shoegaze texture and synth layers: Sputnikmusic praises the late, atmospheric stretch where “We Are Of This Earth” and “Don’t Be Afraid” crystallize the record's melancholic identity, while Classic Rock finds comfort and honesty in “Everyone Is Broken” and the mournful second half. Clash and Kerrang! celebrate the album's anthemic, survivalist moments, with “Scars” and “I Beat Loneliness” named as the most galvanizing tracks that translate grief and resilience into cathartic riffery and vocal grit.
The consensus is tempered: reviewers praise authenticity, themes of solitude and mental-health candor, and moments of genuine transformation, even as some question the album's consistency and audience impact. For readers wondering whether I Beat Loneliness is worth listening to, the critical consensus suggests a record with potent highlights and a clear emotional throughline - not always seamless, but often rewarding when it leans into intimacy and texture. Below, the full reviews unpack where the album's best songs land and how they reshape Bush's recent trajectory.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
We Are Of This Earth
2 mentions
"a dreamy, spacey, mournful little bit of echoing shoegaze"— Classic Rock Magazine
Everyone Is Broken
1 mention
"a stripped-back, gentle call for kindness and solidarity"— Classic Rock Magazine
I Beat Loneliness
3 mentions
"the titular track ‘I Beat Loneliness’ hits like a sledgehammer"— Clash Music
a dreamy, spacey, mournful little bit of echoing shoegaze
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Scars
I Beat Loneliness
The Land Of Milk And Honey
We're All The Same On The Inside
I Am Here To Save Your Life
60 Ways To Forget People
Love Me Till The Pain Fades
We Are Of This Earth
Everyone Is Broken
Don't Be Afraid
Footsteps In The Sand
Rebel With A Cause
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Bush’s I Beat Loneliness finds its strongest moments in its late, atmospheric stretch, where songs like “We Are Of This Earth” and “Don’t Be Afraid” crystallize the record’s melancholic, electronics-laced identity. The reviewer notes that after decades of chasing trends, Gavin and co. are finally inhabiting a sound that feels genuine, and the album’s emotional resonance is most apparent on the quieter, more introspective tracks. While earlier material like “Love Me Till The Pain Fades” keeps one foot in energetic accessibility, it is the subdued, ambient passages that make the best tracks on I Beat Loneliness stand out. Overall the record delivers one of Bush’s more compelling statements in years, balancing modern riffs with synth undercurrents to confront loneliness and regret with palpable authenticity.
Key Points
-
“Don’t Be Afraid” bests the album by crystallizing its atmospheric electronics, clean guitar, and Gavin’s expressive vocals.
-
The album’s core strengths are its authentic emotional resonance and evolution toward a melancholic, electronics-infused alternative metal sound.
Themes
Cl
Critic's Take
In a survey of their strengths, Bush on I Beat Loneliness serve up the best tracks as steady anchors rather than reinventions, most notably “We Are Of This Earth” and “Everyone Is Broken”. The reviewer hears the first half as familiar, muscular grunge for long-term fans, while side two - especially “We Are Of This Earth” - provides a surprising, mournful beauty. There is praise for Gavin Rossdale's candid lyricism about self-harm and recovery, which makes songs like “Everyone Is Broken” feel humane and consoling. Overall the album is comforting rather than groundbreaking, its best songs winning by emotional honesty and tonal shift rather than novelty.
Key Points
-
The best song is "We Are Of This Earth" because its dreamy, mournful shoegaze provides a surprising moment of beauty.
-
The album's core strengths are Gavin Rossdale's candid lyrics about mental health and a comforting familiarity that will please long-term fans.
Themes
Critic's Take
Bush arrive bruised and unbowed on I Beat Loneliness, where the best tracks - “Scars” and “I Beat Loneliness” - feel like raw, confessional anthems. Emma Harrison’s voice revels in the album’s grit, noting how “Scars” hits like a thunderbolt and how the titular “I Beat Loneliness” lands as an impassioned cry of survival. She foregrounds songs like “The Land Of Milk And Honey” and “60 Ways To Forget People” as emotionally charged moments that broaden the band’s palette. The result is a vital, assured record that frames its strongest tracks as rallying cries of resilience and catharsis.
Key Points
-
The best song is the title track because it is presented as an impassioned, cathartic cry of survival.
-
The album’s core strengths are its raw confessional lyrics and thunderous, grunge-fueled instrumentation that emphasize resilience.
Themes
Ke
Critic's Take
Gavin Rossdale wears his flaws openly on I Beat Loneliness, and the review homes in on the record's most vivid moments rather than its uniform success. The best tracks on I Beat Loneliness are anchored by the opener, “Scars”, a pulsing industrial microcosm of regret, and the title cut “I Beat Loneliness”, which finds Gavin in defiant form with big-ambition riffing. Hickie's voice is candid and conversational, admiring the scale and persuasiveness of the riffery while noting that personal vitality does not always translate to the listener. Overall, the review positions those songs as the album's high points even as it questions whether the record is consistently vital.
Key Points
-
The opener “Scars” best embodies the album's themes with its pulsing industrial groove and reflective lyrics.
-
The album's core strengths are candid personal reflection and strong, persuasive guitar riffery, even if emotional vitality does not always reach the listener.