Bush: Afterlife Review | Billboard.com

After nine years of side projects and solo albums in between stretches of silence, Gavin Rossdale has finally recorded new material with his breakout alt-rock group Bush. The band will return with a full album this October, but the first taste of the disc is radically different than the grunge-influenced rock of its ’90s heyday. While the verses of “Afterlife” use an angular guitar riff and rumbling bassline instead of power chords, the chorus bursts into a towering hook reminiscent of early Foo Fighters. The biggest change in Bush’s approach is the use of Rossdale’s vocals, which earnestly attack the song’s melody instead of utilizing his “Glycerine” growl. “Afterlife” has the well-produced catchiness to find legs on modern rock radio, but the song lacks the charisma that distinguished the band back in the day. We hope the rest of the forthcoming “Everything Always Now” finds Rossdale embracing his vocal personality more wholeheartedly.

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via Bush, “Afterlife” | Billboard.com.