Hear the isolated vocals for New Order’s ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’
After Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris lost their friend and bandmate Ian Curtis, the band, then known as Joy Division, decided to regroup with a new name – New Order.
Instead of becoming a poor imitation of Joy Division without their frontman, they decided to lean into electronic music, inspired by their experience of the bubbling New York club scene. With Sumner taking on the role of vocalist, they also recruited Morris’ girlfriend, Gillian Gilbert, to be their keyboard player and additional guitarist.
Their first release as a band was ‘Ceremony,’ a track that had been written before Curtis’ death. The song contained a similar dark sound to Joy Division. However, it was brightened by the introduction of synthesisers and drum machines. After releasing their debut album Movement in 1981, which was made when the band were still heavily grieving Curtis, they immersed themselves greater in disco and electronica as a way to cheer themselves up.
This became a vital part of creating their sound, which evolved into dance-heavy tracks, aided by Morris also teaching himself how to use a drum machine. By 1983, New Order had created their masterpiece – ‘Blue Monday.’
The song quickly became the fastest-selling independent 12″ single of all time in the UK and was a club sensation. Another single, ‘Confusion,’ further cemented New Order as important contributors to dance music, with its energetic drum machine and inescapably catchy synths.
New Order were a massive force in the 1980s, continually releasing exciting tracks that were a far cry from the post-punk of Joy Division. One of the band’s biggest hits was ‘Bizarre Love Triangle,’ which appeared on their 1986 album ‘Brotherhood.’
Despite failing to chart in the UK, critics raved about the track and rightly so – the four-minute track is a whirlwind of synth-pop genius. As solo synths introduce the track, the interruption of a blistering drum machine gears the track into ignition.
‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ condenses everything great about New Order into one precise track, with a great bassline, and Kraftwerk-esque synths that play alongside different whirling synths. Although the instrumentals are fantastic, Sumner’s vocals tie everything together, dripping with resonance as he sings about being caught in an unhappy relationship and falling for someone new.
To hear the full clarity of Sumner’s vocals, it is worth listening to the track’s isolated vocals, which allow listeners to greater hear the breathiness and desperation in his delivery.
