Garbage’s Butch Vig Says Mixing Record Soon, Album Out In 2021
Garbage has been steadily working on their upcoming 7th studio album for a few years now. Where are they at in the recording process? Drummer Butch Vig just did an hour-long livestream to talk about recording albums, and during the Q&A, he revealed some Garbage album news.
According to Butch, Garbage finished tracking their new album a couple of weeks ago. They still need to finish some overdubs, add in some “ear candy” and arrangements, and get some final vocals from frontwoman Shirley Manson. But beyond that, the tracking is mostly done. Up next, the band plan to start mixing the album in about four weeks. They will mix from the safety of their homes. All in all, it sounds like the album is almost done!
But we won’t get to hear it that soon. Unfortunately, Butch said that we’ll most likely get the album very early in 2021. Why the long wait between completion and release? He didn’t say, but don’t be surprised if this year ends without a new Garbage record in your hands.
On the bright side, Butch did share a short clip of a new Garbage track! He described the sound of “spaciness” on this new song, revealed some if its plugins and effects, and then let us hear about 15 seconds of the current work-in-progress. In the clip, you can hear a mix of guitar tones, a rapid beat, spacey blips, and a punchy drum transitioning to the next – unheard – part of the song.
Listen to the song preview and see the full Q&A below:
The above livestream lasted for a full hour, mostly filled with talk of music production. Butch cited examples of his work with Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Muse, Green Day, and more. He also described how Garbage works as a band, their own inconsistent recording process, and plenty more. For your reference, here are some of the relevant time stamps:
- 2:02 — talks about Garbage’s tracking and mixing timeline for the upcoming album
- 16:30 — mentions new Garbage track he’s working on, the FabFilter EQ plugin and EchoBoy delays he’s using on it, and the sound of “spaciness” on the song
- 24:46 — describes Garbage’s inconsistent recording process
- 26:34 — plays a clips of the “spacey” new Garbage song he’d previously mentioned
- 55:29 — talks about how the song “Empty” off Strange Little Birds ended up changing
- 56:31 — states that the new Garbage album will probably be out “very early in 2021”
Butch Vig’s livestream was fascinating and informative, so if you have any interest in music production, be sure to watch the whole hour-long video!
Making the Album
Garbage first started working on new songs in spring 2017. That summer, we got a taste of their upcoming 7th album when they shared “No Horses” as a single. It was one of five songs they’d already started that year. They continued working on new songs early in 2018 and into that spring, though studio time halted when they toured in celebration of Version 2.0 turning 20.
For Record Store Day: Black Friday in late 2018, Garbage shared another new song; “Destroying Angels” was released more widely at the beginning of 2019. Whereas “No Horses” was apocalyptic, “Destroying Angels” was a murder song. It sounds like the next Garbage album will be pretty dark! Though, as they said February last year, it’ll be balanced out with some light, too. And, of course, sugar and spice and everything nice.
Following the 2018 celebration of the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album Version 2.0, Garbage spent much of early 2019 working on their upcoming 7th studio album. Last year they teased the “darkness and light” and “sugar and spice” they were creating in the studio. In April 2019, they were in the studio again. In mid-September, Garbage returned to the studio, announcing it as “Day 1” of recording the new album. Did that mark the official beginning of the recording and production, following months of writing and demoing? Or was it just “Day 1” of that particular session? It’s unclear, but we do know the band has been making progress! Garbage re-entered the studio in January and shared an update at the end of February.
New Clues
So far, we still know precious little about the sound of their forthcoming album. Last June, NME shared an interview with Shirley Manson about politics, the future of rock music, and, of course, their new album. She revealed that the music is “cinematic” and “pretty personal.”
Last October, Garbage teased fans with a handful of full and partial song titles, including the following:
- [unreadable] About You
- This City Will Kill You
- The Creeps
- [unreadable] K
- Waiting For God To Show Up
- Anonymous Sexx
Catch up on all that’s gone into making the album so far, and get ready for more studio updates as the band finishes mixing and mastering the record. Keep checking back here for all the latest Garbage music news.
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