Garbage are back with the brand new song “There’s No Future In Optimism,” along with its accompanying music video. The track is the latest single from the band’s upcoming new album Let All That We Imagine Be the Light.
A pulsing, electronically-backed alternative rock tune, “There’s No Future In Optimism” is a politically-charged anthem that, ironically, argues against its eye-catching title. It’s bleak but not hopeless, which is made all the more clear when supplemented by the dystopian imagery of the music video. Watch it below.
“I love the title,” frontwoman Shirley Manson said in a statement. “But the lyrics are an action against that title. Because if we allow our fatalism or our negativity to really take over, we will crumble. It’s about a city, in my case, Los Angeles, but it could be anywhere where bad stuff is happening. After the George Floyd murder, which is one of few things in my life that I wish I’d never seen: I was changed entirely by seeing the footage of that cop kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. In Los Angeles there were huge protests and a lot of upheaval after that. Above our house in Hollywood, there were helicopters all day long, for days on end. It was precarious, chaotic and terrifying.”
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Garbage’s new album Let All That We Imagine Be the Light is set to arrive on May 30th (pre-orders are ongoing). To support the release, Garbage also announced a 2025 North American tour. Check out all of Garbage’s upcoming concerts, which includes a stop at Cruel World Festival, below and pick up tickets here.
Revisit our review of Garbage’s last album No Gods No Masters, and pick up a physical copy, if you fancy. You can also listen to Garbage talk about “Only Happy When it Rains” on The Story Behind the Song.
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Garbage 2025 Tour Dates:
05/17 — Pasadena, CA @ Cruel World Festival
08/02 — Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Field *
09/03 — Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Café
09/05 — Pompano Beach, FL @ Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
09/06 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
09/08 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
09/10 — Nashville, TN @ The Pinnacle
09/12 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
09/13 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre
09/16 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
09/17 — Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
09/18 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
09/20 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
09/23 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
09/24 — Toronto, ON @ History
09/29 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
09/30 — Newport, KY @ MegaCorp Pavilion
10/01 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
10/03 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
10/04 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
10/06 — Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
10/07 — Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
10/12 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
10/15 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
10/18 — Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Spokane
10/20 — Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum
10/21 — Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
10/23 — Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery
10/24 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10/26 — Reno, NV @ Silver Legacy Resort Casino
10/29 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Rockwell at The Complex
10/31 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – The Chelsea
11/02 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
* = w/ My Chemical Romance
