It’s been said that the key to longevity as a band is as simple as never breaking up. One wouldn’t be blamed for assuming that once Joy Division’s enigmatic vocalist Ian Curtis took his own life in 1980 it would be game over for all involved, but the surviving members soldiered on under a new (equally ill-advised) name, with guitarist Bernard Sumner taking the reigns as lead singer and the addition of Gillian Gilbert on keyboards. They proceeded to occupy the hearts of goths, punks, hipsters, and club kids alike for over 40 years, and have been releasing records on no particular schedule ever since. Let’s see how they stack up.
9. Waiting For the Sirens’ Call (2005)
The band’s first release without Gilbert, and their last with god-tier bassist Peter Hook, “Waiting For the Siren’s Call” boasts only a sprinkle of highlights in what is otherwise kind of a snoozeworthy collection of songs. “Hey Now What You Doing” invokes “Out of Time”-era REM, while “Turn” echoes back to the band’s most indie rocking late ‘80s moments. Just like pizza and sex, though, even the worst New Order is better than no New Order at all.
Play it again: “Turn”
Skip it: Just about everything else.
8. Get Ready (2001)
If the thought of Billy Corgan doing a guest spot on a New Order record makes you want to retch, proceed with barf bag in hand. “Get Ready’s” third track, “Turn My Way” features the head Pumpkin in charge on its chorus, and the whole thing comes off sounding a little too similar to that Moby and Gwen Stefani song for comfort. Let this be a lesson: Never let an ugly bald guy duet with a gorgeous blonde ever again. Opening track “Crystal” is a banger, though, and one of Hook’s finest performances on record. You can hit stop right there.
Play it again: “Crystal”
Skip it: Anything involving Billy Corgan ever.
7. Republic (1993)
New Order’s highest Billboard charting album, and their first after longtime label Factory Records folded, “Republic” kicks off with the marvelous lead single “Regret,” accompanied by a charmingly awkward “Baywatch” collab music video featuring the Hoff himself. The remainder of the album shows the band leaning further into the house and italo-disco they helped to pioneer, with piano and strings paying each other compliments on tracks like “Spooky” and “Young Offender”, and even a touch of hip hop on “Ruined In a Day” and “Times Change”.
Play it again: “Regret,” “Young Offender”
Skip it: “Liar”
6. Brotherhood (1986)
Anchored by the enduring hit “Bizarre Love Triangle,” the band did us a favor on this album and made one side all rock songs and the other side all dance songs. So no matter if you picked your date up at the rave or the Cure concert, you’ll know exactly which side to throw on to get busy when you’re home. Convenient!
Play it again: “Bizarre Love Triangle”
Skip it: “As It Is When It Was”
5. Music Complete (2015)
A decade break in between albums this far into a band’s career can produce dicey results, but “Music Complete” is a pleasant surprise. We’re still Hookless here, but Gilbert is back behind the keys for the first time since 2001, and what we’re served is a very listenable set of tracks that lean much more into the dance than the rock. We’re also treated to some fun guest vocals courtesy of La Roux’s Elly Jackson (“Tutti Frutti,” “People on the Highline”) and The Killers’ Brandon Flowers (“Superheated”). Oh yeah… Iggy Pop shows up, too. He does the same weird spoken word schtick on “Stray Dog” as he did 23 years prior on “Black Sunshine” by White Zombie. It sounded much cooler then.
Play it again: “Superheated”
Skip it: “Stray Dog”
4. Movement (1981)
If Joy Division wrote the blueprint for moody post-punk, New Order called in the contractor and poured the foundation with “Movement.” With the loss of Curtis still fresh in the air, Hook assumes vocal duties on “Dreams Never End” and “Doubts Even Here,” while Sumner sings the rest. Bernie’s innocent quiver proved a more compelling contrast to the cold synths and proto-industrial grooves, so the front seat became his permanently. It’s worth pointing out that this album might have inspired the Edge to buy a pedalboard, so feel about that how you will.
Play it again: “Senses”
Skip it: “Truth”
Honorable Mention: Substance (1987)
It would be remiss not to mention that the bulk of the band’s biggest hits were released only as singles, and 1987’s two-disc “Substance” compiles all of them up to that point, with some 12” mixes and re-records to boot. This is the one you can throw on at the barbecue and your guests won’t hate you for it.
Play it again: “Temptation,” “Blue Monday,” “True Faith”
Skip it: You can probably ditch the entire second disc, to be honest.
3. Technique (1989)
With the promise of a ‘90s electronic music renaissance looming over the horizon, New Order did what any forward-thinking dance group would do and made a pilgrimage to Spanish party island Ibiza to record a good portion of “Technique.” The result is a fun push and pull of club bangers like “Round & Round” and “Vanishing Point” aside breezy rockers like “All the Way” and “Dream Attack.” Longtime visual collaborator Peter Seville provides a super cool album cover depicting a cherub statue bathed in purples and blues; an aesthetic borrowed by countless alt-rock bands in the early ‘90s. If there were any doubts that New Order were from the future, they laid them to rest with this one.
Play it again: “Round & Round”, “Dream Attack”
Skip it: “Guilty Partner”
2. Low Life (1985)
Any record that features the drummer on the cover immediately gets bumped to the front of the line, but honestly, this album should be rebranded as “The Peter Hook Show” because homeboy is in beast mode for the entire 40 minutes and 7 seconds. This is undoubtedly the point where New Order came into their own, with production value taking a significant leap forward. Stephen Morris is a monster out of a Cronenberg film, morphing himself into half man, half machine, and in turn, creating a trunk-rattling drum sound that propels tracks like “The Perfect Kiss” and “Sub-culture.” If the band called it quits right here they would have already cemented their reputation as legends of alternative music until the end of time.
Play it again: “The Perfect Kiss,” “Sunrise”
Skip it: “Elegia” (It might scare the neighbors.)
1. Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
New Order’s piece de resistance and the apex of post-punk, inspiring just about every worthwhile musical artist you can name ever since. From Hook’s beautiful hiccup at the beginning of “Age of Consent,” to the lucid dreamy synth leads in “Your Silent Face,” to the dancefloor-ready “586” and “Ultraviolence,” “Power, Corruption & Lies” is a marionette string tugging at your very soul. You’re crying, you’re dancing, you’re nostalgic yet hopeful. Released in 1983, but it’s everything we’re feeling in 2023. Not to mention Saville’s beautiful still life cover art looks equally chic in a record frame as it does on a $500 Raf Simons crewneck. Long live New Order. Thank you for not breaking up.
Play it again: “Your Silent Face”
Skip it: Don’t you dare.