LOS ANGELES, CA- In the pantheon of alt-rock provocateurs, few bands have aged with the same edge, elegance, and emotional relevance as Garbage. With their new single “There’s No Future in Optimism,” the Shirley Manson-fronted quartet once again proves that while the world may be crumbling around us, there’s still poetry—and power—in defiance.
Serving as the lead single off their forthcoming album Let All That We Imagine Be The Light (out May 30), “There’s No Future in Optimism” carries all the sonic hallmarks that have come to define Garbage’s three-decade run: crunchy guitars, cinematic flourishes, and that razor-sharp lyrical bite. But it’s also a track that breathes with the air of our current moment—a moment tangled in unrest, climate anxiety, and collective reckoning.
“The earth is shaking / I want to go home / The clock is ticking / We’ll go it alone…”
Manson’s delivery is classic Garbage: measured, magnetic, and mourning. The song is born of real-world turmoil, not abstraction. In her own words, Manson cites the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent upheaval in Los Angeles as key emotional backdrops. Helicopters over Hollywood. Streets teeming with protest. A society teetering. This isn’t posturing—it’s personal.
And yet, despite its bruised verses, “There’s No Future in Optimism” doesn’t wallow. It rises. As the chorus unfurls, we’re met not with resignation, but renewal.
“Rewrite our romance / Let’s go dancing, not talk for a while…”
There’s a surprising tenderness in that turn. It’s an acknowledgment that while systems might fail us, love—messy, flawed, human love—can still offer salvation. It’s a theme Manson expands on in discussing the album: “This record is about what it means to be alive… It’s hopeful. It’s very tender.”
Produced by the band with longtime collaborator Billy Bush, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light was recorded in bedrooms and studios across Los Angeles, including Butch Vig’s own Grunge Is Dead. If the first single is any indication, the album won’t be a requiem—it’ll be a resistance, lit from within. Expect angular guitar riffs, sleek beats, and lyrics that slice deep, wrapped in lush, emotionally charged atmospherics.
With song titles like “Sisyphus,” “Have We Met (The Void),” and “Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty,” Garbage seem primed to walk that fine line between sardonic and sincere, fury and fun. They’ve never shied from the dualities of life—and in this cultural moment, that kind of nuance is more vital than ever.
And in case you forgot: Garbage is hitting the road. Their “Happy Endings” tour will span 31 cities across North America this autumn, marking their first major U.S. headline run in nearly a decade. From New York’s Brooklyn Paramount to San Francisco’s Warfield, fans old and new will get the chance to step into Garbage’s ever-evolving sonic cathedral.
“There’s No Future in Optimism” might sound like a warning—but listen closely, and you’ll hear the opposite. It’s not about giving up. It’s about finding a flicker of light amid the wreckage. It’s Shirley Manson staring down despair and saying: we can rewrite the story, if we choose to. And sometimes, the revolution begins on a dancefloor. “There’s No Future in Optimism” is out now. Garbage’s new album, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, arrives May 30. Tickets for the “Happy Endings” tour are available now via Garbage’s official website.
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