Garbage Are Taking Control On Not Your Kind Of People

'This time around, we were going to do everything on our own terms,' Shirley Manson tells MTV News of band's first album in seven years.
By Lauren Child

Garbage's Shirley Manson
Photo: MTV News

It's been seven long years of silence for fans of the alt-rock band Garbage, but the wait is nearly over. Their new album is set to drop in mid-May, and Garbage are hoping their devotees think it was worth the wait.

Frontwoman Shirley Manson spoke with MTV News about Garbage's extended hiatus and their playful time in the studio and why they decided to do things their way with Not Your Kind of People.

"We thought we'd take a year, maybe two off, and then ... it spread to six years before we got back in the studio together. We've always been a little slower than everybody else though, to be honest, at everything in life, so it's fitting.

"To me, I haven't had that much fun historically in the studio, but this time, I didn't want the process really to end. I just was having so much fun, and I felt confident and I felt creative and I had lots of ideas and so did everyone else, and so it was incredible. I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to release the record. I was like, 'Let's just stay here and make more music.' "

Lucky for Garbage fans, the fun eventually did come to an end, resulting in their much-anticipated fifth album. Known for playing by their own rules, Manson and the boys self-released this album under their own label, Stunvolume.

"We did decide to release our new record on our own label, mostly because we felt a little frustrated at the major-label system that, as effective as that can be, for us, we just didn't really jibe with that mentality, I guess, to be brutally frank, and so we decided this time around, we were going to do everything on our own terms and fund everything ourselves and thus keeping everyone else's opinion at bay."

Manson recognizes that Garbage aren't loved by everyone, and that's perfectly fine by them. But sold-out venues throughout their tour prove that fans are ready to pick up where they left off.

"Garbage has never really fitted in, per se. We've been an outsider band from the start," Manson said. "When our first record came out, everyone was a little taken aback. I don't think anyone imagined we would be as successful as we ended up being, us included, probably more than anyone, and we've never really made music like anyone else. There's no other band that sounds like us or goes about their business like we do. I mean, we definitely are an anomaly, but I think we've got to the point in our career where we've accepted ourselves and we realize we can't change who we are and this is it, and if people feel an attraction towards the music, they will come with us, and those who don't connect with us at all will reject us, and that's cool."

"Blood for Poppies," the first single from the new album, is about chaos and madness, Manson said, "remaining sane, when faced with insanity." It's sure to satisfy the inner darkness in all of us.

Are you excited for new music from Garbage? Let us know in the comments!

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