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Best Post Punk

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Rankings use category fit, feature coverage, pricing signals, public reception, and recency. Affiliate relationships do not affect scores.

0.0 - 10.0
Best 1 Talking Heads – Remain in Light

Remain in Light is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980, by Sire Records. Co-produced by the band and Brian Eno, the album was heavily influenced by Afrobeat, particularly the music of Nigerian artist Fela Kuti. It utilizes extensive polyrhythms, l...

2 Television – Marquee Moon

"Marquee Moon" is the debut studio album by the American rock band Television, released in 1977 by Elektra Records. The record features intricate, interlocking guitar work primarily driven by Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, anchored by Fred Smith's bass and Billy Ficca's drums. It diverges from stan...

3 Unknown Pleasures

Unknown Pleasures is the 1979 debut studio album by the English band Joy Division, released by Factory Records and produced by Martin Hannett. Its sparse production, prominent bass, controlled percussion, and atmospheric guitar textures helped define the sound associated with post-punk. The cover, d...

4 Marquee Moon

Marquee Moon is the 1977 debut studio album by the New York band Television. It combines post-punk economy with extended, precisely arranged guitar interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, particularly on the title track. Recorded with producer Andy Johns, the album emerged from the CBGB sc...

5 The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead

The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by English rock band the Smiths, released in 1986 on Rough Trade Records. Recorded with producer Stephen Street, it features the core lineup of Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, and Mike Joyce. The album blends post-punk and jangle pop influences and is...

6 Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation

'Daydream Nation' is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1988 as a double LP. The record blends noise rock with traditional song structures, featuring extensive use of alternate guitar tunings, distortion, and feedback. The release brought the band m...

7 Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

'Unknown Pleasures' is the debut studio album by the English post-punk band Joy Division, released in 1979 on Factory Records. Produced by Martin Hannett, the album departs from standard punk rock by incorporating dense, atmospheric production and Peter Hook's melodic basslines. The record's cover a...

8 Metal Box
Metal Box

Metal Box is the second studio album by the English band Public Image Ltd, released in 1979. Its original edition placed three 45 rpm 12-inch records inside a round metal canister, while later editions used the title Second Edition. The music combines Jah Wobble's dub-influenced bass, Keith Levene's...

9 The Queen Is Dead

The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English band the Smiths, released in 1986. Written primarily by Morrissey and Johnny Marr, it combines Marr's layered guitar arrangements with lyrics addressing romance, isolation, social convention, and British public life. The album includes the t...

10 Entertainment!

Entertainment! is the debut studio album by the English post-punk band Gang of Four, released in 1979. The record is distinguished by its angular, jagged guitar work, funk-driven basslines, and lyrics heavily focused on political and social critique. It fundamentally shaped the post-punk movement, i...

11 Gang of Four – Entertainment!

"Entertainment!" is the debut studio album by the English post-punk band Gang of Four, released in 1979. The record is distinguished by its angular, scratchy guitar work, dub-influenced basslines, and politically charged lyrics that critique consumer culture and capitalism. It is widely considered a...

12 Suicide - Suicide

Suicide is the self-titled debut album by the New York duo Suicide, consisting of vocalist Alan Vega and instrumentalist Martin Rev, released in 1977 on the Red Star label. The album blends minimalist electronic instrumentation with Vega's rockabilly-influenced vocal style, anticipating elements of...

13 The Cure – Disintegration

"Disintegration" is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Cure, released in 1989. The record represents a shift away from the pop-oriented sound of their previous releases, returning to the slow, atmospheric, and melancholic dirges of their earlier gothic rock style. Featuring densely...

14 Suicide - Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev

"Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev" is the second studio album by the American musical duo Suicide, released in 1980 on ZE Records. The album was produced by Ric Ocasek of the rock band The Cars and features the duo's minimalist blend of electronic instruments, synthesizers, and rockabilly vocals. I...

15 Joy Division – Closer

Closer is the second studio album by the English post-punk band Joy Division, released on July 18, 1980, by Factory Records. It was produced by Martin Hannett and recorded at Britannia Row Studios in London. Lead singer Ian Curtis died by suicide on May 18, 1980, two months before the album's releas...

16 Black Country New Road - Ants from Up There

"Ants from Up There" is the second studio album by the British rock band Black Country, New Road, released in 2022. The album is noted for its expansive, orchestral post-rock arrangements, heavily featuring strings, woodwinds, and saxophone alongside traditional rock instrumentation. It was the fina...

17 Wire – Pink Flag

Pink Flag is the debut studio album by English post-punk band Wire, released in 1977 on Harvest Records. The album features 21 tracks in approximately 35 minutes, with many songs under two minutes long, exemplifying a minimalist approach that abandoned punk conventions while maintaining the genre's...

18 The Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime

The Minutemen’s “Double Nickels on the Dime” is a seminal 1984 double album from Los Angeles. This post-punk project showcases the band's rapid-fire, politically charged lyrics and unconventional instrumentation. The record’s dense arrangements and experimental approach influenced countless indie ro...

19 R.E.M. – Murmur

Murmur is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on IRS Records. Recorded in Charlotte, North Carolina, with producer Mitch Easter, it features a jangle-pop sound driven by Peter Buck's arpeggiated guitar work and Michael Stipe's intentionally indistinct vo...

20 Pink Flag
Pink Flag

Pink Flag is the 1977 debut studio album by the English rock band Wire, released on Harvest Records and produced by Mike Thorne. The album consists of 21 tracks recorded at Advision Studios in London and is distinguished by its minimalist approach, blending raw art-punk energy with unconventional so...

21 Hex Enduction Hour

Hex Enduction Hour is the fourth studio album by the English post-punk group the Fall, released in 1982 on the Kamera label. Recorded in sessions in England and Iceland, it marks the band's first studio recording featuring a two-drummer lineup. Known for its abrasive, repetitive sound and cryptic ly...

22 New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies

Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by English band New Order, released in May 1983 on Factory Records. The album marked the group's transition from the post-punk sound of their previous band Joy Division toward a more electronic, synth-based approach. It features notable tracks "Age...

23 Disintegration

Disintegration is the eighth studio album by English rock band The Cure, released in 1989. Produced by David M. Allen, the record represents a return to the band's darker, gothic rock roots following a period of more pop-oriented releases. It features several of the band's most well-known tracks, in...

24 Talking Heads

Talking Heads redefined New Wave with their quirky rhythms, intellectual lyrics, and David Byrne's distinctive vocals. Their blend of art-rock, funk, and punk created a sound that was both challenging and accessible. Albums like 'Remain in Light' and 'Fear of Music' remain cornerstones of the genre,...

25 This Nation's Saving Grace

This Nation's Saving Grace is the eighth studio album by the English post-punk band The Fall, released in 1985. Produced by John Leckie, the record is widely considered one of the band's defining and most accessible works. The album blends Mark E. Smith's distinctive, cynical vocals with sharp guita...

26 Sound of Silver

Sound of Silver is the second studio album by American dance-punk band LCD Soundsystem, released on March 20, 2007, by DFA Records. Frontman James Murphy produced the record, which builds upon the band's electronic and post-punk influences by incorporating more melodic synthesizer lines and rhythmic...

27 This Heat - This Heat

This Heat’s 1979 debut album is a significant work in experimental music. The trio's intense rhythmic explorations and angular instrumentation prefigured the development of post-punk and influenced subsequent genres like post-rock. It remains notable for its stark soundscapes and challenging approac...

28 The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy

Psychocandy is the debut studio album by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, released in November 1985 on Blanco y Negro Records. The album is renowned for its innovative sound, which combined 1960s pop melodies and Phil Spector-influenced production with extreme guitar feedback...

29 Murmur
Murmur

Murmur is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album is widely regarded as a foundational release for the American college rock movement. Featuring jangle-pop guitars and Michael Stipe's i...

30 Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food

Talking Heads’ “More Songs About Buildings and Food” released in 1978 represents a significant shift within their post-punk sound. Featuring early collaborations with Brian Eno, this album explores themes of urban life, consumerism, and everyday experiences through innovative arrangements and David...

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