5 Things to Know About Joy Division's Closer
- Closer was released on July 18, 1980, just two months after Ian Curtis’s suicide.
- The album was recorded in early 1980, before Curtis’s death, with the band already aware of his deteriorating health.
- Its dark, sparse sound and lyrics about isolation and despair are widely seen as a direct reflection of Curtis’s state of mind.
- The cover art, a photo of a tomb in Genoa, was chosen by Curtis before his death.
- Closer is considered a post-punk masterpiece, but its release was overshadowed by the tragedy of Curtis’s death.