Garbage’s new album Let All That We Imagine Be the Light has been released, and Shirley Manson says it’s more than just another rock album.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, the frontwoman shared how it’s been shaped by personal recovery, global unrest, existential anxiety, and her belief in imagination as a survival tool.
“This record was a searchlight, a way out of the cave,” she said.
“There’s not a day gone by in the last two years that I haven’t woken up and cried looking at my phone. The horror in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, young troops losing their lives… this record was an attempt to send something beautiful out into the world. To pour all my love, hope and resistance into something creative.”
Manson also spoke about not visiting Australia since before the pandemic. Garbage were due to return in 2023 — including a planned show at the Sydney Opera House, a bucket-list goal for Manson — but the tour was cancelled after she was injured.
“I was devastated,” she said. “Australia is where our career began. It’s a priority for us.”
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Elsewhere in the interview, she also reflected on the loss of Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, who died in 2021.
“He was like the godfather of our band,” she said. “He treated everyone — whether it was our management, agents, crew, or the band — exactly the same, with so much love. He was always waiting for us. When we would fly in from all over the world, Michael would be there at the airport to greet us in Australia.”
“The idea of coming to Australia and not having him there is painful. But we’ll be there. Not just for the fans. For Michael. And we know his beautiful widow Sue and his kids will be there waiting for us next time we land. That means a lot.”
Garbage’s Let All That We Imagine Be the Light is out now.
