Garbage with Brian Aubert "The Chemicals" - 2015 Record Store Day single

On Record Store Day 2015, Garbage released a 10-inch single (pressed in fluorescent orange vinyl) recorded in collaboration with Brian Aubert, the lead singer of Silversun Pickups. This follows a Record Store Day tradition for Garbage, who collaborated with Brody Dalle for another 10-inch single last year. Eric Avery (the original Jane’s Addiction bassist) is credited with bass, as he was on last year’s single. It sounds as though both sides of the record are intentionally distorted in spots to simulate the surface noise of scratched vinyl. The single is a decent collectible item for fans of Garbage.

The A-side track, “The Chemicals”, is an appropriately trippy song about drug addiction. Aubert sings the chorus following Shirley Manson’s stanzas, and I suspect Aubert is also playing the slightly jangling guitar on the track. The song mixes Garbage’s techno-pop with the type of quasi-Smashing Pumpkins alt-rock that we would expect from Aubert’s usual band. The song does a fairly effective job of illustrating both the passivity of the drug addict and the intensity of their craving. The B-side, “On Fire”, is a mellower psychedelic mood piece, using a more sparing juxtaposition of sounds to create a distant, melancholy feel. The title describes the mental anguish of a person who cannot find peace of mind.


Garbage - The Chemicals

Garbage with Brian Aubert "The Chemicals" (b/w “On Fire”) (Stun Volume single STNVOL011) 2015

Track Listing:

a. The Chemicals (with Brian Aubert)
b. On Fire

Comments