Garbage
Not Your Kind Of People

After 7 years, Garbage returns to the scene, disproving rumors of a definitive breakup, and they do so by reinstating their approach to music. It's a playful and almost detached approach of those who love to experiment and assemble sounds with more of a producer's attitude than that of a true musician. Let's not forget that aside from the singer Shirley Manson, the other band members are primarily known for their work as producers.

As for the album, as they approach or surpass the age of 50, the band brings back the sound to which they had accustomed us previously, but updated to the present. We could define it as a 3.0 version of Garbage, as we can easily trace the techno sounds of "Version 2.0", the clean and roaring guitars of "Bleed like me", as well as more trip-hop and electronic moments like in their debut album or in "Beautifulgarbage".

However, this is not a nostalgia operation for old fans. The music is fresh and powerful, and it's evident from the first notes of Automatic systematic habit, a highly danceable track, with techno nuances that lean toward a dark electronic sound reminiscent of Blutengel. It could be seen as a nod to the younger audience enthralled by Lady Gaga's synthesizers, but in reality, it works as an excellent opener for the rest of the album.

The techno immediately gives way to Big bright world, with a less mechanical and more fluid melody. Almost a Beatles-like touch that reappears in the most melodic tracks of the album such as the dreamy and psychedelic title track, or the tender Beloved freak. A taste for melody that repeats in Sugar, reminiscent of the trip-hop atmospheres of older tracks like Milk or You look so fine.

The allure of these tracks is nonetheless balanced by more energetic songs, supported by gritty guitars or walls of sound in an almost shoegaze style. Hypnotic and retro, the lead single Blood for poppies is accompanied by a video that seems filmed by Dalí, or the more electronic Control and Battle in me, the next promotional single. The techno with dark undertones returns in I hate love, and rare trance-like peaks are reached in Felt. More minimalist and inspired by a grittier electronic sound are the four tracks that tail the deluxe edition.

In conclusion, I expected a lot from this album, after 7 years of absence. I even expected, or rather, feared a certain amount of fatigue and some difficulty in reinserting into a changed music market. Garbage, on the other hand, has proven capable of excelling at their craft, selecting the distinctive elements of their sound to refine and update them. To many, they might come off as pretentious and snobbish, for the way they play and experiment with music, offering (deliberately) artificial and layered albums, but this is also one of their trademarks. Take it or leave it.