Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be The Light (Album Review)
Thursday, 05 June 2025
Written by Jack Press
Photo: Joseph Cultice
More than three decades since their formation, Garbage remain uncompromising. ‘Let All That We Imagine Be The Light’ extends a late-career purple patch they entered with 2021’s ‘No Gods No Masters’, even if its lopsided tracklist features songs that feel torn between inspiration and desperation.
The album’s first half is pretty forgettable. Opener There’s No Future In Optimism merges vintage I Think I’m Paranoid energy with their desire to create connections, but it never quite justifies its existence beyond being a rallying cry.
Chinese Fire Horse addresses industry ageism, with vocalist Shirley Manson delivering sardonic quips about being “too old”, yet the track’s bloated runtime undermines its defiant message.
Similarly, Hold and Have We Met (The Void) offer interesting industrial textures that dissolve into repetitive refrains.
A welcome transformation arrives with Radical, where atmospheric synths and anthemic percussion finally give Manson’s political fire the fuel it requires.
From here, ‘Let All That We Imagine Be The Light’ finds its footing. Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty delivers the album’s most infectious hook alongside sharp commentary on societal oppression, while Love To Give successfully balances sci-fi atmospherics with a punchy chorus.
Closer The Day That I Met God provides its most poignant moment, revealing Manson’s spiritual awakening during recovery from an injury wasn’t finding religion, but finding Tramadol, instead. In fact, the album’s second half is so markedly superior that one wonders whether an EP might have better served these songs.
Garbage Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed September 03 2025 - ORLANDO Florida - Hard Rock Live Orlando (USA)
Fri September 05 2025 - POMPANO BEACH Florida - Pompano Beach Amphitheater (USA)
Sat September 06 2025 - ST PETERSBURG Florida - Jannus Live (USA)
Mon September 08 2025 - ATLANTA Georgia - Eastern Atlanta (USA)
Wed September 10 2025 - NASHVILLE Tennessee - Pinnacle at Nashville Yards (Concert Venue) (USA)
Fri September 12 2025 - CLEVELAND Ohio - Agora Theater (USA)
Sat September 13 2025 - DETROIT Michigan - Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple - Detroit (USA)
Tue September 16 2025 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - Franklin Music Hall (USA)
Wed September 17 2025 - WASHINGTON - Anthem (USA)
Thu September 18 2025 - BOSTON Massachusetts - Roadrunner Boston (USA)
Sat September 20 2025 - BROOKLYN New York - LIU Brooklyn Paramount Theatre (USA)
Sun September 21 2025 - NEW HAVEN Connecticut - College Street Music Hall (USA)
Tue September 23 2025 - PITTSBURGH Pennsylvania - Stage AE (USA)
Wed September 24 2025 - TORONTO Ontario - History (Canada)
Mon September 29 2025 - CHICAGO Illinois - Shed (Indoors) at The Salt Shed - Complex (USA)
Tue September 30 2025 - NEWPORT Kentucky - MegaCorp Pavilion (USA)
Wed October 01 2025 - COLUMBUS Ohio - KEMBA LIVE! (USA)
Fri October 03 2025 - MADISON Wisconsin - Sylvee (USA)
Sat October 04 2025 - MINNEAPOLIS Minnesota - First Avenue Mainroom at First Avenue - Complex (USA)
Mon October 06 2025 - KANSAS CITY Missouri - Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland (USA)
Tue October 07 2025 - DALLAS Texas - Bomb Factory (Formerly Factory in Deep Ellum) - Complex (USA)
Wed October 08 2025 - AUSTIN Texas - ACL Live At The Moody Theater (USA)
Fri October 10 2025 - OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma - Criterion Theater - Oklahoma City (USA)
Sun October 12 2025 - DENVER Colorado - Mission Ballroom (USA)
Wed October 15 2025 - SEATTLE Washington - Paramount Theatre Seattle (USA)
Fri October 17 2025 - BOISE Idaho - Knitting Factory Boise - Complex (USA)
Sat October 18 2025 - SPOKANE Washington - Knitting Factory Spokane (USA)
Mon October 20 2025 - VANCOUVER British Columbia - Orpheum Theatre (Canada)
Tue October 21 2025 - PORTLAND Oregon - Mcmenamins Crystal Ballroom (USA)
Thu October 23 2025 - SARATOGA California - Mountain Winery (USA)
Fri October 24 2025 - SAN FRANCISCO California - Warfield (USA)
Sun October 26 2025 - RENO Nevada - Silver Legacy Resort Casino - Complex (USA)
Wed October 29 2025 - SALT LAKE CITY Utah - Rockwell at Complex SLC - Complex (USA)
Fri October 31 2025 - LAS VEGAS Nevada - Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (USA)
Sun November 02 2025 - PHOENIX Arizona - Van Buren (USA)
Wed November 05 2025 - LOS ANGELES - Hollywood Palladium (USA)
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