BUMB: “WE KEEP ON TRYING TO PUSH FOR A MORE ORGANIC, NATURAL YET PUNCHY SOUND”

London trio bumb are closing out 2026 with ‘every time we talk’, an emotionally raw indie ballad that lays bare the messy reality of staying in a relationship that’s hurting you. We caught up with the band to talk heartbreak, their evolving sound, explosive live shows and what’s coming next.

There’s something brutally honest about bumb’s latest single. Released on 30 October, ‘every time we talk’ captures the exhausting push and pull of a relationship where the desire to recapture the beginning refuses to outweigh the pain of the present. Starting with little more than vocals and electric guitar, the track gradually unravels into a full-band crescendo, with swelling backing vocals and horns amplifying its emotional weight.

It’s the third and final single of the year from the London trio, following ‘excuse’ and ‘i kinda like it’, and arrives after a run of milestones that includes a headline slot at Rock The Beach Festival in Malta and a sold-out show at London’s Hope & Anchor. With their sound becoming increasingly organic, expansive and unapologetically emotional, bumb are clearly gearing up for something bigger.

We caught up with the band to discuss the heartbreak behind ‘every time we talk’, the evolution of their sound, the impact of their live shows and an ambitious release schedule that looks set to keep them busy well into 2028.

1. Your new single, ‘every time we talk’, explores the feeling of staying in a painful relationship while trying to recapture how things felt at the beginning. What inspired the song, and how did you approach capturing that emotional conflict in the lyrics and sound?

The song writing came naturally, it was something that I think me and my ex were both feeling so strongly it came swimming out. With the production I wanted quiet, emotional moments, along with the big swells from the backing vocals and horns at the end to show the anger / sadness / range of emotion. The first half of the song was recorded completely live with no click, then click starts with the drums but we still play live - with this we tried to keep it emotional, with the backing instruments added after we’d recorded as a band.

2. The track begins with just vocals and electric guitar before building into an explosive full-band finale. Did you always envisage the song having that dynamic, or did it develop naturally as you worked on it together?

It all came about really naturally! I brought the song to Jamie and Louis in the practice room and the only point where it felt like the bass and drums were needed was in the later more aggressive / emotional sections.

3. ‘every time we talk’ is your third and final single of the year. Looking back at the music you’ve released in 2026, how do you feel your sound and identity as a band have evolved?

The last year has seen the band have a huge change in sound which allowed us to finish a lot of the music we’ve been working on. We keep on trying to push for a more organic, natural yet punchy sound - we can’t wait to share more over the next two years. We’re about to re-release our previous two singles this year, ‘excuse’ and ‘i kinda like it’ with a more organic & punchier sound, with live orchestra being used across the songs. We also might have another single coming before the year is out - still to be decided!

4. You’ve had some brilliant milestones recently, from headlining Rock The Beach Festival in Malta to selling out London’s Hope & Anchor. How have those experiences shaped you as a live band, and has the audience’s response influenced the music you’re making?

It definitely influences the songs we’re excited about and what we decide to release, we write music in lots of different ways and when we’re all in a room together the live shows influence the sound and enjoyment we get from trying new things. Lyrically it’s great to add interactive moments, I’ll often change lyrics depending on what works on show days and what gets sung back the loudest!

5. With three singles released this year and growing recognition from outlets such as Record of the Day and Official Charts, what’s next for bumb? Are you already thinking about a bigger project, such as an EP or album, and what can listeners expect from you in 2027?

We have a large bank of music that has just been finished, we’ll be releasing it over 2027 and 2028, this includes multiple larger projects, with everything recorded live - including orchestras, horns, synths, opera, etc. We can’t wait to share it with the world.