Paste magazine has refreshed its ranking of the 50 best new wave albums from the 1970s and 1980s, highlighting influential records in the genre. The list, selected by the publication's music writers and editors, spans post-punk overlaps to synth-driven pop. It underscores new wave's role in bridging punk and mainstream music.
New wave emerged in the late 1970s as a broad category following punk, encompassing power-pop, neo-psychedelia, art rock and synthesizer-heavy sounds. By the early 1980s, it shifted toward more accessible synth pop, distinct from the avant-garde post-punk. As Greg Shaw wrote in a 1978 Billboard issue, new wave represented a spectrum of styles with a fresh approach and cultural connection between artists and audiences. Shaw also observed that artist-owned labels became commercially viable through new wave marketing.
The genre inspired independent scenes, contributing to the 1980s college-radio boom and later indie rock. Paste's updated list, originally published in September 2016, features albums from 50 to 1, starting with the Pretty in Pink soundtrack and culminating in Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True from 1977.
Notable entries include Blondie's Parallel Lines (1978) for its pop, rock and disco blend; Talking Heads' Remain in Light (1980) with African polyrhythms; The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead (1986) for its melancholic wit; and New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies (1983), evolving from Joy Division. Other highlights are The Police's Synchronicity (1983), XTC's Skylarking (1986) and The Cure's Disintegration (1989).
The compilation reflects new wave's diversity, from The Cars' debut in 1978 to Depeche Mode's Music for the Masses in 1987, showing its lasting impact on music.