When the term first arrived on the pop music scene in the late part of the ’70s, new wave was used as a catch-all for music that wasn’t quite punk, but it wasn’t traditional pop or rock music either. Sort of a poppier sibling to punk’s gnarly reputation and thorny songs, new wave soon became a destination landing spot for many of the generation’s boundary-breaking artists.
Many bands that emerged didn’t have much shelf life, expiring before the ’80s reached its midpoint. Those who survived learned to adapt and evolve with the times, either pinpointing what worked in their music and discarding the rest, or growing out of the genre completely.
The Best Album by New Wave’s 15 Biggest Artists is filled with these survivors: groups and solo singers who made it out of the early ’80s, more or less, intact. Several of them went on to make their best music after new wave was tossed away with other period relics like leg warmers and Betamax.
READ MORE: Punk Rock’s 40 Best Albums
Most of these records, however, made their marks during a time when wiggly synths and massively chewy pop hooks were commonplace. Elvis Costello, Duran Duran and Pretenders went on to long, rewarding careers, but it’s hard to argue that they made their best music early on.
New wave’s greatest records used to occupy that rare space between novelty and timelessness; decades after the music’s peak, much of it still resonates with music fans. The albums below are the ones we will be listening to another 40 years from now.
The Best Album by New Wave’s 15 Biggest Artists
Punk’s poppier sibling, broken down to its most essential recordings.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
