12 Essential Post-Punk Albums

After co-founding the influential Buzzcocks in 1976, vocalist Howard Devoto left in February 1977 because he felt that the punk movement had already become stale. Later that year, Devoto formed Magazine and began to push his punk impulses into darker art rock territory. The result was 1978’s Real Life, a pioneering post-punk work that is cerebral, dramatic, and dynamic.

With their debut Pink Flag, Wire single-handedly crafted an album that helped lay the foundation for punk and inspire the post-punk scene that would soon follow. Their sophomore effort, Chairs Missing, further expanded on the band’s rapidly evolving sound with chilling synthesizers, bleak lyrics, and a haunting mixture of minimalism and Brian Eno-inspired soundscapes. Once again, Wire was one step ahead as the album’s darker tone became a blueprint for the goth rock strain of post-punk.

Once the Sex Pistols called it quits in 1978, singer John Lydon (AKA Johnny Rotten) formed Public Image Ltd and took his music in a more experimental direction. PiL’s first album, Public Image (First Issue), is a groundbreaking post-punk release, but their second album Metal Box (AKA Second Edition) established the band as masters of the avant-garde. With much of the album improvised, PiL was able to take elements of dub and krautrock and create an uncompromising work of art that still sounds as timeless as the day it was released.

Unknown Pleasures is such an influential album that even the cover art has developed its own status as a cultural phenomenon. Beyond the recognizable cover image, the album contains ten songs of doom, desperation, and catharsis that continue to provide the sonic template for all things post-punk. For any listener that encounters an album from the ‘80s and beyond and wonders where its melancholy mood comes from, there’s a good chance that it can be traced back to the baritone vocals, visceral lyrics, melodic basslines, and stark production of Unknown Pleasures.

Gang Of Four’s revolutionary debut is political, urgent, and as vital as ever. The album’s bass-driven arrangements include sharp guitars that cut through infectious rhythms and vocal melodies that balance the angst of the lyrical content with bonafide hooks. The call and response between the instruments, angular guitar riffing, and funk-inspired bass have inspired countless post-punk acts and legendary bands like Fugazi and Rage Against The Machine.

When it comes to classic post-punk records, In The Flat Field is as essential as they come. Inspired by the wild energy of Iggy Pop, the glam stylings of David Bowie and T. Rex, and elements of dub and punk, Bauhaus’ debut is brooding, chaotic, and steeped in the sort of darkness that would come to define the goth sound and subculture. Listeners looking for post-punk with gloom and bite will want to give In The Flat Field a spin.

After releasing a few well-received albums, Siouxsie & The Banshees went through a lineup change and greatly expanded upon their sound and the possibilities of post-punk. With the addition of John McGeoch on guitar and Budgie on drums and new forays into electronic music,  Siouxsie & The Banshees diversified their output with songs that are dark but also accessible. Kaleidoscope’s ability to cast a somber mood while also tapping into pop sensibilities put the band in a league of their own and paved the way for the alternative sounds of the ‘80s.

When Killing Joke released their self-titled album in 1980, they established themselves as one of post-punk’s heaviest offerings and a catalyst for industrial rock. The guitar riffs exude a metallic precision while the rhythm section pulsates and the vocals angrily bleed into the band’s doom-laden soundscapes. Beyond the album’s profound influence on post-punk and industrial, it has also inspired metal bands like Metallica, who covered Killing Joke’s “The Wait” in 1987.

Before they achieved mainstream status with their unique brand of goth pop, The Cure worked through some of their most morose material in the early ‘80s. With an album cover featuring a medieval church immersed in fog, Faith takes listeners through slower atmospheric pieces and faster numbers that mirror the dreary highs and lows of depression. For a lush post-punk experience full of mournful keyboards, haunting bass, and vocals full of yearning, Faith is a must.

Throughout the entire history of post-punk, no band has been as challenging or menacing as The Birthday Party. On 1982’s Junkyard, Nick Cave howls, shrieks, and croons as he spins Southern Gothic yarns of violence and murder amidst the noisy wash of Rowland S. Howard and Mick Harvey’s guitars. Prowling basslines and jarring free jazz rhythms complete the sonic cacophony, positioning Junkyard as an essential album for those who like their music a little deranged.

Even though frontman Andrew Eldritch has frequently objected to the goth moniker, The Sisters Of Mercy are often referred to as a goth band. After coming up in the early ‘80s UK post-punk scene, the band’s debut full-length First And Last And Always was released in 1985. The album’s bass-baritone vocals, melancholic guitars, and electronic drums pushed post-punk to its full goth potential and it continues to be a highly influential release throughout all music scenes that thrive in the shadows.

The Fall and their prolific output prove that not all post-punk is preoccupied with doom and gloom. The band released 31 studio albums in their career, but This Nation’s Saving Grace remains a favorite amongst fans and critics alike. Mark E. Smith’s sardonic speak-singing is in top form as the band’s guitar hooks, bludgeoning percussion, and synthesizers bridge the gap between their early post-punk experiments and their later infusions of pop and electronica. For heavy doses of caustic wit and hypnotic repetition, listen to The Fall.