April 10, 2025
Garbage drop a new single, There’s No Future In Optimism, ahead of new album
Garbage have revealed their single There’s No Future In Optimism – accompanied by a gorgeous cinematic video (which can be seen below), shot and directed by Benjy Kirkman. This is the first single from the band’s forthcoming new album Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, out May 30.
Speaking about There’s No Future In Optimism, Shirley Manson says “I love the title. The band sent it me and I was like, “This is great. I’m keeping that.” But the lyrics are an action against that title. Because if we allow our fatalism or our negativity to really take over, we will crumble.”
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“It’s about a city, in my case, Los Angeles, but it could be anywhere where bad stuff is happening. After the George Floyd murder, which is one of few things in my life that I wish I’d never seen. I was changed entirely by seeing the footage of that cop kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. In Los Angeles there were huge protests and a lot of upheaval after that. Above our house in Hollywood, there were helicopters all day long, for days on end. It was precarious, chaotic and terrifying.”
Garbage will embark on a 31-city tour across North America this Autumn, in support of the new album. “Happy Endings”, Garbage’s forthcoming tour, will stop at New York’s Brooklyn Paramount, Washington D.C.’s The Anthem, San Francisco’s The Warfield and more, with tickets on sale from April 4. For over thirty years, Garbage’s powerful live show has captivated audiences and continues to inspire worldwide adoration and this year’s shows are the band’s first extensive headline tour dates in the U.S. in almost ten years. For more information on Garbage’s live dates, visit their website.
Garbage’s new album Let All That We Imagine Be The Light was recorded at Red Razor Sounds in Los Angeles, Butch Vig’s studio Grunge Is Dead, and Shirley Manson’s bedroom. The record was produced by the band and longtime engineer Billy Bush. The album is unmistakably Garbage and all the hallmarks and signatures for which they are known are present.
Big angular guitars, precise, propulsive beats and cinematic soundscapes all lurk beneath Shirley Manson’s unmistakable voice, her lyrics bristling with attitude. This is the sound of a group at the peak of their creative powers – characteristically harnessing sonic juxtapositions and moods to create an album that thrums equally with both light and shade.
Speaking about the album, Manson adds: “This record is about what it means to be alive, and about what it means to face your imminent destruction. It’s hopeful. It’s very tender towards what it means to be a human being. Our flaws and our failures are still beautiful, even though we’re taught that they’re not. This is a tender, thrilling record about the fragility of life.”
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Garbage consists of all four original band members, Shirley Manson, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig. Over the 30 years since their inception in 1995 they have sold over 20 million albums. Their unique sound, songwriting and electric live performances have inspired worldwide adoration, chart success and critical acclaim. They are considered one of the most influential bands of their generation.
Garbage’s new single There’s No Future In Optimism is out now and their new album, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light is released on May 30, pre-order here.
