“We’re looking for shards of life and humanity,” Garbage‘s Shirley Manson told us last spring, teasing the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘No Gods No Masters’. A year on, the finished product is here in the form ‘Let All That We Imagine Be The Light’ – and it’s fair to say that the frontwoman is true to her word.
It arrives at a vital moment for Garbage. In the time since their last release, the singer has undergone surgery after an on-stage incident, confronted sexist scrutiny from the media, and been part of a number of musicians standing up against a startling rise in bigoted rhetoric from political leaders. With such challenges looming, things could have easily turned bleak on album eight. Instead, though, the band have channelled that frustration into something that seeks out hope from the rubble.
Take opener ‘There’s No Future In Optimism’. Despite its sombre title, it serves as an uplifting introduction to the record. Powerful lyrics flip cynicism on its head (“There is no future that can’t be designed / With imagination and a beautiful mind”), and its fusion of electronica, rock and alt-pop are guaranteed to glow on the live stage.
It’s once we reach the triple threat of ‘Have We Met (The Void)’, ‘Sisyphus’ and ‘Radical’, however, that ‘Let All That We Imagine…’ comes into full force. While the trilogy’s lyrics deliver gentle reminders that struggles breed strength, it’s the sonic landscapes that take the album to new heights. Combining analogue synths, gut-punch guitar riffs and intriguing dynamics, the four create something both raw and intimate, yet densely layered and cinematic. Manson’s vocals are some of her strongest yet, and intricate nuances captured by Butch Vig, Duke Erikson and Steve Marker reflect the synergy that comes from years of collaboration.
While the album leans into softer themes of love and optimism, that isn’t to say that Garbage have cast aside their intensity. In fact, with album eight, the band push back against the tired cliché that rock artists mellow with age. Yes, ‘Let All That We Imagine…’ may not be completely engulfed with white-hot rage, but in the moments where that anger does come through, it blazes. Just look at the unfiltered response to misogyny in ‘Chinese Fire Horse’ (“I’ve still got the power in my brain and my body / I’ll take no shit from you”), or the refusal to overlook intolerance in ‘Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty’. Garbage’s recognition of prejudice is clearer than ever, and their tolerance for bullshit is at an all time low.
If there is one thing Garbage have taken from the time since their last LP, it’s that while the world can often feel like a dark place, there is a sense of empowerment that can be reached by letting in the light. Over three decades after they formed, we are now seeing the band like never before. Not only are they showcasing some of their most intriguing and impactful material, but they’re also paving the way into a hopeful new chapter.
