Post-punk is a genre of music that is hard to pin down. Upon its arrival in the late 1970s alongside punk music, it immediately distanced itself from punk while simultaneously taking elements from it and incorporating them into its own style. Due to its experimentality, post-punk has influences from a variety of genres, allowing it to reach a wide audience of listeners. Post-punk is a genre of music that continues to impress me, and over time, it has become one of my favorite genres to listen to. It has maintained success over multiple decades and provided incredible bands in all eras. Here are five of my favorite post-punk bands to introduce you to the genre.
Talking Heads
This band took the grooviness of post-punk to new heights, and there might not be a band in the history of music that takes influences from more places than Talking Heads. These influences are never more evident in their discography than in the album “Remain In Light.” Frontman David Byrne displays charisma in every song, and the production choices are both experimental and easily accessible. Combining African percussion, funky bass lines and bubbly synths, the whole album makes for an exciting post-punk experience. However, Talking Heads’ thrilling discography is not just tied down to that album. Songs like “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down the House” and “Road to Nowhere” provide instantly catchy melodies and sing-along lyrics while maintaining the experimental production elements of classic post-punk. If you want to listen to post-punk, Talking Heads is a good place to start.
Public Image Ltd
What better band to describe the development of post-punk than Public Image Ltd? Formed by John Lydon, also known as Johnny Rotten of the incredibly influential punk band the Sex Pistols, they released their debut album only months after the success of “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.” Led by Lydon’s trademark voice and lyrics and Jah Wobble’s innovative bass playing, Public Image Ltd laid the foundation for post-punk sounds. Songs like “Memories,” “Swan Lake” and “This Is Not a Love Song” provide their listeners with extremely funky bass lines; truly odd-sounding horn sections paired with Lydon yelling his abrasive yet poetic lyrics make for truly classic post-punk.
The Police
While I am not crazy about their name, The Police have made some of my favorite music ever. International hits in their earlier days like “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle” showcase the band’s catchy instrumentation while contrasting against their often thematically heavy lyrics. Their reggae influence became more apparent in the early 1980s. They often employed “skank” rhythms in their guitars, which play muted chords offbeat. This style is especially evident in songs like “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” from their 1980 album “Zenyatta Mondatta.” In their 1981 release “Ghost In The Machine,” they lean heavily on horn sections and funky bass lines, especially on songs such as “Demolition Man” and “Too Much Information.” And on their swan song “Synchronicity,” synths play a massive role in their rhythmic structures. While their discography is only five albums deep, the sonic evolution between each release is one-of-a-kind.
New Order
Formed as a remix of incredibly influential post-punk band Joy Division, New Order have proven to be influential to post-punk in their own right. New Order’s primary influence on music is mixing post-punk sounds with dance and electronic music. Implementing clean, jangly guitars with buoyant synths, New Order pioneered a new era of post-punk. Songs like “Age of Consent,” “Bizarre Love Triangle” and “Blue Monday” are perfect examples of the innovation that New Order presents in their sound. With a discography spanning over multiple decades, New Order continues to provide their listeners with iconic dance tracks within the bounds of post-punk.
Squid
One of my favorite bands in today’s music scene, Squid have become one of the most memorable bands of the twenty-first century’s post-punk revival. Clearly taking influence from bands like Talking Heads, they employ polyrhythmic instrumentation and intriguing lyrics that always leave you wanting more. With their recent release “O Monolith,” they have proven to be the most innovative post-punk band in the modern era. Tracks like “Swing (In a Dream)” and “The Blades” provide sonically bizarre production choices that put you on an emotional rollercoaster, while “Siphon Song” uses a vocoder on top of haunting background vocals. “Undergrowth” is a song that displays the classic elements of post-punk with groovy bass lines and reggae-tinged guitars. Taking influence from legendary post-punk bands from decades past while simultaneously creating their own sound to fit the music trends today, Squid is a must-listen for new post-punk fans.
Post-punk is such a vast genre that has its own influences while also influencing so many other genres, which makes it accessible for so many people. While there are an abundance of post-punk artists that are great, these five should give you the perfect introduction into such a complex genre.
