Interview: Grumble Bee
Grumble Bee by Sarah Glesby and Oliver Jameson
Grumble Bee, the creative outlet for multi-instrumentalist Jack Bennett, has returned with his first new single in years, "YOU." Known for his dynamic mix of alt-rock, experimental production, and deeply personal storytelling, Bennett has been a staple of the UK music scene, from his solo work to his role fronting Lonely The Brave. After stepping in as their lead vocalist and producing their last two albums, Bennett has come back to Grumble Bee with a fresh perspective, blending years of experience with newfound inspiration.
In this Q&A, Bennett discusses the inspiration behind "YOU," the freedom of creating without genre constraints, and how his time with Lonely The Brave has shaped his new musical direction. We dive into his creative process, the significance of building his own studio, and what fans can expect from this exciting new chapter for Grumble Bee.
You’ve just released your first new single since 2018, "YOU." What inspired your return, and why now?
I just wanted to start getting music out again & I’ve had a lot of these tracks for a little while in various different stages, so I just wanted to kick start it again!
After fronting Lonely The Brave and producing their albums, how did that experience shape your approach to creating music for Grumble Bee?
Working on our last 2 albums together with LTB was a great experience & they all write pretty differently to how I approach melody, so the only thing musically from me would be my vocals. So it’s just a different vibe entirely when I’m writing everything myself on whatever instrument feels right!
"YOU" feels more experimental. How did you approach blending genres and sonic elements on this track compared to your previous work?
One day I was listening to Justin Bieber for whatever reason, where the production was entirely chopped up and very heavily edited, so I went for an edgy vocal take doing some silly vowels I think, and then constructed the song entirely around the vocal chop.
You mentioned incorporating voice notes into your music. What’s your creative process like when turning these spontaneous ideas into full songs?
I always have vocal memos, from dog walks or whenever I come up with something to hum.. I just save them all and then bring into the studio and work out whatever instruments the melody or beat might work best across. If I’m lucky the melody might be strong enough to work as a lead vocal & ill go down the route of working out chords on piano or guitar for that melody.
Building your own studio must have been a massive undertaking. How has having your own space influenced your music production?
It was mostly my dad, I’m absolutely useless at most things DIY - but I do love the tech / testing / trying different gear to get the best possible result for whatever performance. All of that searching for better equipment has ultimately led to me making mistakes & learning / improving from those methods - which actually helps to make my songs hopefully sound stronger too!
Lonely The Brave’s sound is quite different from Grumble Bee’s. How did you transition back to your solo work, and how do you manage the different creative worlds?
Because the guys write so differently to me, and have very clear styles & also just generally better players at their instruments than me - it’s usually a clearer path from the get go. The difference with my stuff, is I’ll usually bin something much sooner if it’s not catchy enough or weak in some way to me personally.
You’ve worked on some major projects, like re-scoring for HBO’s Game of Thrones. How does that cinematic experience influence your songwriting?
Yeah, well it was a remix of a really strong song by sampha, who’s an incredible writer anyway and tonally he sounds really unique, so I massively wanted to make sure that feel and tension in the performance was held throughout the piece. It’s just dramatic and I always try to exaggerate in my songs anyway. Being subtle is sometimes to boring for me personally.
Your new music brings in elements of animals and animation. How do these visual and thematic inspirations play into your sound and creative identity?
I love both those elements, so yeah just keen to keep the whole package - as it were - to represent as much of me as possible!
Grumble Bee is known for emotional depth. How do you channel your personal experiences into your lyrics and music?
I’m really glad people can take whatever they like from my music, but it’s never particularly important to me what it’s about. It’s just whatever I’m into at the time or going through, but there’s some stuff on this new release that’s more conceptual anyway, and not specifically to do with me
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned during your hiatus, and how has it influenced your new approach to music?
As in from not doing grumble bee stuff? It’s literally just because we’ve been busy in album cycles and I’ve not had time to produce the final product for grumble bee releases. I’ve always been writing with both projects.
Your production work for other artists seems to feed into your solo projects. How does collaboration influence the direction of your own music?
Well I learnt a lot about vocal production and obviously all the lessons you learn from recording in general you can take into the next thing along.. it’s all just experience.
With the release of "YOU," how do you see Grumble Bee evolving musically in the coming years?
It’s vastly different and I don’t mind what lands the best with audience because I’ll always keep changing the styles. I just think it’s the way I like to listen to music & I absolutely never listen to one type exclusively so I’ll just make anything that’s fun and makes me happy! Hah
You often merge different genres into your work. How do you maintain cohesion and avoid the pitfalls of genre-blending?
I’m yet to find out how badly these songs will land, but again it really doesn’t matter to me anymore. I think making music should just be entirely fun / interesting & keep you happy. It’s a ridiculous art fun at the best of times, so I’m massively keen to just put out endless music forever now
How does the storytelling in your lyrics influence the way you craft the instrumentation and production in your songs?
Usually never matters to me about the instrumental, unless it’s a super ballad driven thing, where I want that tension and release. I like the dramatics of Disney type things, so there’s some thought in there. But ultimately, I just want it to feel believable and honest.
Finally, what have you been listening to lately? Any artists, new or old, that are currently inspiring you?
I’ve been listening to a lot of “Daves” recently, who are a sort mad punk thrashy band from Leeds, as I’ve been working with them in the studio. But there’s also Sabrina carpenter, some Xcerts recently who I think write bangers. A lot of Zedd & the cure usually at night time.. also teddy swims and sleep token when I’m climbing usually.
Grumble Bee's first new track since 2018, "YOU", is out now and available for streaming on all your favourite platforms.
