#309 Joy Divison, 'Closer' (1980)

Previously #157

A cry for help recorded on record. The album opens with the tribal beats of ‘Atrocity Exhibition,’ with vocalist and lyricist, Ian Curtis beckoning “This is the way, step inside.” Into the heartbreaking ‘Isolation,’ a song about his failing marriage. About his mental state; feeling isolated, feeling hurt, feeling shame. “Mother, I tried please believe me/I'm doing the best that I can/I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through/I'm ashamed of the person I am.” It’s just so sad listening to these lyrics. His despair is pulpable. ‘Passover’ continues the sentiment. In fact, the whole album is one sad suicide note.

This album was recorded two months before Ian Curtis would hang himself at the age of 23 years old and released two months afterwards. It remains one of the most heartbreaking records and stories of all time. We’ll never know what would become of Curtis as an artist, but the rest of Joy Division picked up the pieces and formed New Order following the release of the standalone single, ‘Love Will Never Tear Us Apart.’ This album serves as the blueprint for New Wave, alternative and Gothic Rock of the ‘80s, with Ian Curtis’s influence impressing on musicians for decades to come.

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