postpunk
After safety pins
Postpunk is rock music that emerged in the late 1970s following punk's initial explosion, retaining punk's experimental attitude while expanding its sonic palette.
Where punk was raw and stripped-down, postpunk bands incorporated synthesizers, angular guitars, and darker atmospheres: Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees defined the postpunk sound.
The term also describes the broader aesthetic—art, fashion, literature—associated with this era.
Also spelled post-punk.
Influential late-70s Manchester group
- Gang of FourInfamous Chinese political clique
- The CureBritish post-punk band
- New OrderRestructured ruling system
- BauhausInfluential modernist design school
Wire · Talking Heads · Sonic Youth · The Smiths · Devo · R.E.M. · Interpol
Amateur home projects
- independentFree from external control
- intellectualConcerning thought and reason
- artfulCleverly deceptive
- zinesAmateur self-published booklets
underground · nonconformist · experimental · subversive · avant-garde · art school · provocative · deconstructed
Deep unfocused worry
- alienationState of being isolated
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- disaffectionLoss of loyalty
- ennuiWeary, listless dissatisfaction
introspection · brooding · bleakness · yearning · anxiety · detachment · disillusionment · existential
Electronic rhythm synthesizers
- synthesizersElectronic sound-generating instruments
- dissonanceLack of harmony
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- arpeggiatedChord notes played successively
reverb · flanged · atmospheric · droning · staccato · cold · mechanical · jangly
Single-color rendering
- angularSharp-edged or rawboned
- starkSevere and unadorned
- austereSeverely simple and unadorned
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
brutalist · industrial · minimal · cold · grey · concrete · sparse · severe
1968 rock album
- ManchesterLarge English industrial city
- LeedsWest Yorkshire's largest city
- SheffieldSouth Yorkshire manufacturing city
- LondonEngland's capital city
Somber electronic rock style
- gothic rockMoody post-punk offshoot
- industrialOf factories and production
- noise rockAbrasive, distortion-heavy rock subgenre
- dream popAtmospheric, reverb-heavy musical style
Joy Division
Influential late-70s Manchester group
- Gang of FourInfamous Chinese political clique
- The CureBritish post-punk band
- New OrderRestructured ruling system
Bauhaus · Wire · Talking Heads · Sonic Youth · The Smiths · Devo · R.E.M. · Interpol
DIY
Amateur home projects
- independentFree from external control
- intellectualConcerning thought and reason
- artfulCleverly deceptive
zines · underground · nonconformist · experimental · subversive · avant-garde · art school · provocative · deconstructed · challenging
angst
Deep unfocused worry
- alienationState of being isolated
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- disaffectionLoss of loyalty
ennui · introspection · brooding · bleakness · yearning · anxiety · detachment · disillusionment · existential · gloom
drum machines
Electronic rhythm synthesizers
- synthesizersElectronic sound-generating instruments
- dissonanceLack of harmony
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
arpeggiated · reverb · flanged · atmospheric · droning · staccato · cold · mechanical · jangly · sequenced
monochrome
Single-color rendering
geometric · brutalist · industrial · minimal · cold · grey · concrete · sparse · severe · asymmetric
Beggars Banquet
1968 rock album
- ManchesterLarge English industrial city
- LeedsWest Yorkshire's largest city
- SheffieldSouth Yorkshire manufacturing city
darkwave
Somber electronic rock style
- gothic rockMoody post-punk offshoot
- industrialOf factories and production
- noise rockAbrasive, distortion-heavy rock subgenre
dream pop · shoegaze · synth-pop · indie rock
postpunkarena rock
Large-venue music genre
glam metal · hair metal · stadium rock · pop punk · power pop
punk, punks, punk rock, cyberpunk, steampunk, punkish, punkie