Joy Division released the 1980 alternative album Closer as their second and final studio album.
Closer followed Joy Division’s 1979 debut Unknown Pleasures and was released shortly after the death of lead singer Ian Curtis. The album was recorded in early 1980 at Britannia Row Studios in London, with producer Martin Hannett shaping its spacious, atmospheric sound.
The record includes “Isolation,” “Atrocity Exhibition,” “Twenty Four Hours” and “Heart and Soul.” Its stark production, Peter Hook’s melodic bass, Bernard Sumner’s guitar and Stephen Morris’s precise drumming helped make it a defining post-punk recording.
Some listeners assume Closer was released before Curtis died because it was recorded earlier. In fact, Curtis died in May 1980, and the album was issued in July of that year. The band ended after his death; the remaining members later formed New Order, making Closer both Joy Division’s final album and a pivotal link between post-punk and later alternative music.