Songwriting Magazine Issue 41

Songwriting Magazine Winter 2025-26: plenty of good cheer and end-of-year edification

Bush’s Gavin Rossdale, Laura Veltz, Roland Gift, Ruth B, Of Monsters And Men, Kula Shaker, The Bluetones, SKAAR, Jim Keller, The Devil Wears Prada, and more…

What better way to close out 2025 than with one final issue of Songwriting Magazine… Whether you’re limping over the line, or hurtling towards it like a dog whose caught scent of an unguarded turkey, we hope you’ll find plenty of good cheer and end-of-year edification within our pages.

The return of Bush with their tenth studio album I Beat Loneliness provides us with the perfect opportunity to speak with frontman and songwriter Gavin Rossdale about his three decades at the top. Looking back on early songs like Glycerine and Swallowed, we get to know a singular talent whose career has been shaped by instinct, insecurity, and a desire to keep learning.

We also chat with Laura Veltz, a songwriter whose stamp has been firmly placed on 2025. By creating a safe place where artists can tell their honest truth, the likes of Jessie Murph, Demi Lovato, Maren Morris and many more have come up with music that’s bold and brave, and summed up by Veltz as part of an era of, “What’s going on with you? Let’s talk about it.”

Finally, we also check in with legendary Fine Young Cannibals frontman Roland Gift. Having just released the anthology collection FYC40, we find Gift in reflective mood as he reveals all about the creation of iconic songs Good Thing, She Drives Me Crazy, and Johnny Come Home, tracks that still shine long after their 80s heyday.

And if it’s exclusive insight into classic songs that you like, just wait until you see the trio of How I/We Wrote features we’ve got lined up for you this issue. First up is Men Without Hats’ Ivan Doroschuk sharing how The Safety Dance pogoed its way out of the clubs and onto the charts. Then there’s Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir on how her Reykjavík apartment and its previous occupants inspired Of Monsters And Men’s Little Talks. Lastly, The Bluetones frontman Mark Morriss on the Britpop anthem Slight Return, which remains a fan favourite to this day

If you’re after practical advice, there are 10 pages of techniques and tips for you. Cori Nora explains the benefits of adding texture to your music, JP Coimbra provides practical advice on levelling up your studio skills, and Mike Meiers adds new flavour to familiar chord patterns. Two decades into his career, Nizlopi’s Luke Concannon shares what he’s learned along the way. If that’s not enough, James Linderman helms the Help Desk and tackles your questions.

Elsewhere, and there’s plenty more, we discover the world of musical theatre, Blair Dunlop gets to grips with the Fender/Jack White Pano Verb, and we reveal our top songs of 2025. We also have Ruth B deconstructing her song Storm, Jim Keller & Byron Isaacs’ shared lessons, the key kit used by The Devil Wears Prada, and SKAAR’s songwriting diary. We also have three new talents, Odhran Murphy, Madeleine Rose Whitney, and The Kasambwe Brothers, just waiting to meet you!

With news, reviews, and a whole lot more, what else could you want this Christmas? Have a great one and see you in 2026!

Find out how you can get this brand new edition of Songwriting Magazine, along with all 40 of our back issues, by subscribing at steadyhq.com/songwriting

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