When you think of your favorite song of all time, what image plays in your mind? We’re willing to bet it’s the visual of the album cover for that song. Album covers have always allowed music fans everywhere to find and listen to music that tells their story.
When we speak of artistic album covers, we cannot forget to include the subtle influences of new wave music and the art inspired by it. The new wave genre first came into being in the late ‘70s and is a token genre for music that is more quirky, artsy, pop, experimental. This was a stark contrast to the hard and edgy music that existed as part of the punk rock era.
Inspired by the French new wave movement in cinema which sought to push against conventional art forms, the new wave movement in music can be characterized as unique, different, and more technologically advanced. And its album covers reflect that.
This article will look into some of the most memorable new wave album covers to have existed within the music industry.
Jesus of Cool by Nick Lowe
This memorable album cover is well-known for Nick Lowe’s debut solo album. The use of a variation of bright colors in this album to showcase the singer in different personalities adds a unique twist to the album cover. This album cover presents the singer in different ways and in doing so, lends itself to the quirky yet light satire that is seen throughout the songs produced by Nick Lowe in the album itself.
Talking Heads:77
This famous album cover by the Talking Heads is known for being “out there” and unique in the most subtle way because this album cover uses just the color red to get its point across. While most other bands were taking an overly artistic approach with their new wave album cover ideas, Talking Heads chose to remain understated, subtle, and yet still striking in their attempt at new wave art. The band itself is known to be a group of free-thinkers who focus on authentic rock, and the subtlety of their album cover reinforces this belief about them.
Rio by Duran Duran
This famous new wave album by the band Duran Duran in the ‘80s is a great example of the artistic freestyle of new wave album cover design. The use of striking imagery and colors instead of their own imagery on the cover (a common practice by many bands at the time), Duran Duran commissioned this album cover art from a famous artist of the time and believed that this cover was everything they hoped to portray in their music; elegant yet striking, stark but sensual, and contradictory. As a band with a more pop sound, Duran Duran liked to incorporate a fun, light atmosphere in their music, and this album cover idea matches that aesthetic perfectly.
Freedom of Choice by Devo
The clever use of the band members wearing red hats and standing rigid alongside the title “freedom of choice” was a unique and effective way of showcasing the band’s journey toward new sounds and new audiences. The way the band uses the common method of using their own image on the album cover but goes about it in a unique way really sets it apart in the new wave genre. This album marks the band’s official transition to more of a pop and synth sound, and the robotic stance of the band members on the album cover presents that very well.
Scary Monsters by David Bowie
None of us are strangers to the famous and memorable music of David Bowie, but this particular album of his is particularly worth a mention within the new wave category. The iconic artwork on this new wave album cover showcases a cartoony animation of Bowie in light colors and adds an artistic, romantic touch to the album, which was Bowie’s goal with his aim of heading toward the genre of romantic wave.
Bowie’s use of an artistic drawing truly cements his position as an artist unafraid to scale the boundaries of art and music.
Dead Man’s Party by Oingo Boingo
This famous 1985 album screams new wave with its vibrantly morbid album cover, which holds true to the name of the album itself. The use of bright colors and skeletons is in itself a contradictory image but allows Oingo Boingo to showcase their quirky sound and unique take on new wave music. The music in this album is energetic and exciting, and the album cover idea is a direct, non-subtle representation of the title itself. The album lends a more fun, artistic, and humorous touch to morbid themes like death, and that’s exactly the artsy vibe that Oingo Boingo hoped to convey.
Drums and Wires by XTC
Probably one of the most artsy new wave album covers to exist, Drums and Wires makes use of bright colors and abstract art to set itself apart from the other albums the band has produced before this. XTC adds an extra twist to their traditional post-punk sound and produces catchy here. With quirky singles that are definitely a step away from what they produced before; this album was known as the breakthrough the band needed from their usual sound. The album cover definitely reflects this change in direction.
Create your own new wave album cover now
If you want your album cover to look similar to some of new wave’s pioneers above, look no further! Go to PosterMyWall album cover templates to find a wide range of album cover designs and cool album covers that you can customize to fit your music genre.
