Beloved Alternative Rock band Garbage, fronted by Shirley Manson, has been tremendously successful for over thirty years. Formed in Madison, Wisconsin, the band has amazingly retained the same lineup over the years, including Drummer Butch Vig, Guitarist/Keyboardist Duke Erikson, and Guitarist Steve Marker. No small feat for any Rock-n-Roll band, their magical run began back in 1995 with the release of their self-titled album, boasting the hits “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains.” In 1998, the Grammy-nominated Version 2.0 followed with a sleeker, more electronic sound featuring “Push It,” “I Think I’m Paranoid,” and “Special.”
Jumping into the 2000s, 2001’s Beautiful Garbage brought more Pop and experimentation, with standouts including “Androgyny,” “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!),” and “Breaking Up the Girl.” From here, you had the heavier, more guitar-driven Bleed Like Me in 2005, before a hiatus, returning in 2010, followed by the 2012 album Not Your Kind of People. Consistently active since 2016’s Strange Little Birds, which was darker with an introspective sound, before 2021’s more politically charged No Gods No Masters. Now in 2025, Garbage returns with their eighth overall album, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light.
Released on May 30, 2025, by BMG, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light features 10 songs totaling just over 45 minutes. Interestingly, whereas No Gods No Masters was partially about sentiments from the previous administration, it is ironic that Garbage’s new album was released in the same administration that the last album was dropped, but 2.0. However, Manson and company leave politics alone and go more personal. So, let’s break it down.
You cannot help but love the juxtaposition of the negative and the positive, which is the case with “There’s No Future In Optimism.” The negative-sounding title belies the rallying cry for love: not to be resigned to surrounding negativity. This is while “Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty” is a direct, confrontational track that calls out those who deem kindness as weakness. Then, “R U Happy Now” asks pointedly whether we are complacent as a society. At the same time, “Chinese Fire Horse” has a Punk edge in its lyrical composition, calling out those who equate aging with unattractiveness or mental decline.
Furthermore, the last track, “The Day That I Met God,” was written while Manson recovered from hip surgery. Anybody who has gone through major surgery starts thinking about mortality and making peace with their god if they believe, making this song quite profound. “Hold” continues the thread talking about the feeling of vulnerability when putting your life in someone’s hands and going through the healing process, holding on when things get tough. Then there is “Sisyphus,” and you might think – What the hell is Sisyphus? Sisyphus was a famously cunning and deceitful king who, for his various transgressions — most notably cheating death, Thanatos, not once but twice — earned the wrath of the gods, especially Zeus and Hades. Garbage used the term to sing about the yin-and-yang of feelings of futility and perseverance. It is the yin to “The Day I Met God”’s yang being grounded. This is as “Have We Met (The Void)” finishes the thread, but can be construed in multifaceted ways, addressing emptiness, existential encounter, questioning the self, and whether life will return to the way it used to be.
Finally, “Love To Give” can be taken at face value, singing about the capacity to be resilient and to give love, and to be generous with that love. At the same time, “Radical” embraces change, believing in something better that can encompass all facets of life. Also, “Hold” implores that she has support from a higher power or a loved one(s).
Drawing on subjects like morality and personal struggles, Shirley Manson used the process of her hip surgery and subsequent recovery as fodder for Garbage’s new album, which is very commendable, since surgery is probably one of the ultimate times of vulnerability. Therefore, Cryptic Rock gives Let All That We Imagine Be the Light 5 out of 5 stars.
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