’90s alt-pop wanderers Garbage announced their upcoming album Strange Little Birds a couple months ago. We’ve already heard the lead single “Empty,” and today they follow up with the melancholy “Even Though Our Love Is Doomed.” The song is reminiscent of fellow beloved ’90s alt-rockers Portishead in its murky gloominess. The lyrics are devastatingly bleak, with Shirley Manson wispily singing the hook “Even though our love is doomed/ Even though we’re all messed up/ You’re the only thing worth fighting for/ You’re the only thing worth dying for.” It captures the futility of continuing to pour your love into someone despite knowing it’s going to end, and having the audacity to believe your love, and your love alone, will prevent its certain doom. The deep bass and dark, dramatic driving piano turn the knife as the lyrics pierce. Listen.

Strange Little Birds is out 6/10 on the band’s own STUNVOLUME label. Read our recent interview with Manson here.