7 Killer Post-punk Bass Lines

Known for its melodic bass lines, up-tempo beats, and melancholic lyrics, post-punk music captured the hearts and ears of many music listeners in the late ’70s and mid-’80s. Bands like Joy Division, Devo, and the B-52’s helped define post-punk’s early years by incorporating different styles of music into the genre to create a minimalistic sound that could only be described as punk meets avant-garde. Other artists developed their sounds by using the post-punk blueprint as the genre evolved. The Cure, for example, took a more pop-centric route with their sound. But even through the genre’s broad and ever-changing sound, one thing stayed the same: melodic and catchy bass lines.

With the recent post-punk revival sweeping across the music scene, it’s only appropriate to highlight the most ear-catching bass lines in the genre and talk about the gear the bassists used. So, without further ado, here are seven killer bass lines in post-punk:

Joy Division: “Love Will Tear Us Apart”New Order: “Age of Consent”Talking Heads: “Born Under the Punches (The Heat Goes On)”The Cure: “A Forest”DIIV: “Under the Sun”The Soft Boys: “Positive Vibrations”Cocteau Twins: “The Hollow Men”

Joy Division: “Love Will Tear Us Apart”

You can’t talk about post-punk without mentioning the forefather of the genre, Joy Division. Their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, solidified the band as a heavyweight within this genre for their masterful songwriting, captivating melodies, melancholic lyrics, and lead singer Ian Curtis’s enchanting baritone voice. After the untimely passing of Curtis in May of 1980, the band released their second album, Closer, and a string of non-album singles, including “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” which became their most popular song to date.

Recorded in 1980 at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was written about Curtis’s failing relationship with his wife and struggle with epilepsy. The song opens with a strumming guitar that builds until the bass and synth come and play the main melody, which plays throughout the song. The song became Joy Division’s first chart hit, peaking at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and reaching number one in New Zealand.

Fun Fact! The guitar in “Love Will Tear Us Apart” only plays a D major chord throughout the whole song, while the bass guitar and synthesizer play a countermelody to the vocals.

Bassist Peter Hook is known for playing a Yamaha BB-1200 and BBPH. You can re-create similar tones with other Yamaha BB Series basses that Sweetwater carries, including the Yamaha BB734A bass guitar. Hook is also known for his use of a chorus effect on his bass tone, using an Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory to acquire his chorus sound. This pedal has been discontinued, but fear not! Electro-Harmonix has a more compact and affordable version called the Bass Clone bass chorus pedal that you can get at Sweetwater. For overdrive, Hook uses a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive pedal to either stick out in the mix while playing live or add some grit to his tone. 

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New Order: “Age of Consent”

Shortly after the passing of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, the remaining members got back together and formed a new band called New Order. Early in the band’s life, they lived in the shadow of their former band, but they soon became one of the most celebrated and revered bands in music due to their infectious blend of post-punk and electronica. Songs like “Temptation,” “Bizarre Love Triangle,” and “Blue Monday” solidified New Order as a post-punk icon, with the latter song being the best-selling 12-inch single of all time with over three million copies sold.

Featured on their 1983 album, Power, Corruption & Lies, the song “Age of Consent” saw the band returning to their roots, as they went with a minimalistic approach, ditching the layered synthesizers, bass line synthesizers, and drum machines. The song starts with a groovy and danceable bass line that Peter Hook plays high on the neck. Meanwhile, a synthesizer plays a sub-frequency note to cover the low end. Because Hook plays high on the neck, the guitar and vocals receive plenty of space to work without clashing.

Fun Fact! Stephen Morris’s drum parts in “Age of Consent” were originally from a different version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division.

The main bass sound on the song comes from a semi-hollowbody Eccleshall 335-style bass guitar with Yamaha 1200s-style pickups. The semi-hollowbody gives the bass a full sound, and when played high up the neck, the notes have a body and fullness you won’t find in some solidbody basses. A Schecter Corsair bass is a close replica of Hook’s iconic Eccleshall and will provide you with a similar tone. Hook uses a BOSS GEB-7 7-band bass EQ pedal to shape his sound, with the high slightly boosted and the 50Hz slider moved down a hair. While he has never used just one type of amp throughout his career, Hook has used an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-115 200-watt bass combo amp, a compact yet powerful device that delivers classic Ampeg tones and sounds in a lightweight unit.

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Talking Heads: “Born Under the Punches (The Heat Goes On)”

Much has already been written about Talking Heads, one of the most celebrated bands in music. Led by singer/songwriter David Byrne, Talking Heads mixed art pop, world, funk, and many more genres together to create a unique sound. However, the accolades don’t stop with Byrne; guitarist Jerry Harrison, bassist Tina Weymouth, and drummer Chris Frantz were also very accomplished musicians. Altogether, they created eight studio albums in 11 years and a plethora of hits, including US Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit, “Burning Down the House.” The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

“Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On),” the opening track to their 1980 album, Remain in Light, sets the pace for the rest of the album with an infectious and funky bass line played by Tina Weymouth. Weymouth’s mixture of slap bass and funky grooves keeps you on your toes — you never know when you’ll hear her pluck the strings throughout the song. Weymouth keeps the song interesting, and her slap bass technique pairs well with the disco-style drums.

Fun Fact! Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz formed the band Tom Tom Club during the Talking Head hiatus and released “Genius of Love,” which was sampled on Mariah Carey’s quintuple-platinum song, “Fantasy.”

Weymouth has one of the most distinctive bass sounds in pop music. A self-taught guitarist, she started playing bass after Talking Heads could not find a bass player. Due to her small stature and hands, she felt more comfortable playing short-scale basses and thus became known for playing basses like the Fender Mustang. She also has been seen playing a Fender Jazz Bass while performing with Tom Tom Band and a Fender Precision Bass live and in the studio.

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The Cure: “A Forest”

The Cure has one of the most polarizing yet idolized figures in post-punk and new wave at the helm. Robert Smith, with his stage look and masterful songwriting, helped merge the Goth rock and post-punk genres. The Cure’s mixture of pop, post-punk, lyrics about being in love — sometimes only on Fridays — and Goth aesthetics propelled the band to worldwide superstardom in the early ’80s and throughout the ’90s. Songs such as “Just Like Heaven,” “Friday I’m in Love,” and “Boys Don’t Cry” have transcended generations and still inspire musicians today. The Cure was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

The release of “A Forest” from their second album, Seventeen Seconds, was the Cure’s first taste of mainstream success, as the single reached number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. Simon Gallup was brought on as the bassist just before they started recording the album, and he brought a rhythmic and melodic edge to playing that helped “A Forest” become the Cure’s first hit. Gallup took an approach that served the song perfectly: instead of the go-to, constant eighth-note bass pluck, he played three notes and left the fourth beat silent so that the snare popped out more in the mix and gave the song more groove. Doing this allowed for multiple rhythms, such as the guitar arpeggio, muted guitar strums, and bass line, to dance seamlessly around the four-on-the-floor drumbeat.

Fun Fact! The Cure’s impact reaches far beyond music, as several movies are named after songs from the band, including the 1999 film Boys Don’t Cry and the 2005 film Just Like Heaven.

Although the band has featured a carousel of different musicians, bassist Simon Gallup has remained one of the band’s most constant members — only bandleader Robert Smith has served longer than him. Gallup is an avid Ampeg amp user and has been seen using an Ampeg SVT-VR amp head in recent tours. If you’re looking for something similar to Gallup’s setup, then the Ampeg Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT 300-watt tube bass head will give you iconic, classic Ampeg sounds and more! Regarding bass guitars, Gallup tours with either his signature Schecter bass guitar or a Gibson Thunderbird IV bass, just to name a few. He has used several different guitars in the studio, including a Fender Jazz Bass.

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DIIV: “Under the Sun”

Residing on a list full of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers and highly celebrated bands can make any new band feel nervous. Still, Brooklyn-based multi-genre band DIIV has already made a name for itself in the shoegaze and alternative music scene. Initially a solo project founded by Zachary Smith in 2011, DIIV has since grown into a full band and released three studio albums, including their debut and cult-classic Oshin. Although their sound is a mashup of different genres, DIIV takes inspiration from classic post-punk bands, such as the Cure, with their up-tempo beats and melody-driven approach to songwriting.

On their second album, Is the Is Are, the song “Under the Sun” saw the band steer away from their effect-soaked vocals and toward a more polished vocal delivery while still staying true to their pop-centric, post-punk sound. The melodic bass in the song, played by former bassist Devin Ruben Perez, skips around the neck yet keeps a steady rhythm. Meanwhile, the guitar’s catchy countermelody keeps you hooked from start to finish. In the bridge section, the band switches to a shoegaze-esque sound with woozy feedbacked guitars and whispery vocals that harken back to bands like My Bloody Valentine.

Fun Fact! DIIV bandleader Zachary Smith gave the band its name — originally called Dive — because the band members were all born under Zodiac water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces).

DIIV’s current bassist, Colin Caulfield, joined the band in mid-2013 as the keyboardist and guitarist, but in 2017, he became the full-time bassist after the departure of Perez. Whereas the other bassists on this list have some of the best and flashiest gear in the genre, Caulfield keeps it simple and affordable. On tour, he has played a Fender Squier Affinity Series Bronco bass guitar. The Bronco is no longer in production, but don’t fret! Sweetwater carries Squier Affinity Series basses, which include Jaguar, Jazz, and Precision Basses. DIIV’s bass sound features heavy use of a chorus pedal, and a BOSS CEB-3 bass chorus pedal will give you similar modulated and bright tones to sound like Caulfield!

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The Soft Boys: “Positive Vibrations”

No band has been more underappreciated in their time than the post-punk, neo-psychedelic Soft Boys. Led by guitarist and singer Robyn Hitchcock, the Soft Boys were progenitors of the psychedelic rock scene with their complex and creative melodies and use of non-Western instruments, like the sitar. Their second studio album, Underwater Moonlight, was initially unsuccessful when released but later became a cult classic, with many bands citing it as a quintessential psychedelia album. More than 40 years after its release, Underwater Moonlight is still captivating listeners, with the Chicago Tribune giving it a perfect rating and “Pitchfork” giving it a 9/10 rating.

“Positive Vibrations,” the third song off Underwater Moonlight, is a perfect mixture of punk, art pop, and weird. The song starts with a bright guitar arpeggio, thumping bass, and building drums. Then, it explodes into the chorus, featuring a distorted guitar riff and the repetitive vocal line, “Positive vibrations.” A sitar peeks out after the second chorus and then again in the outro, which is reminiscent of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” by the Beatles. Matthew Seligman’s punk-inspired bass helps give the track some life and keeps you dancing while Hitchcock hits you with catchy lyric after catchy lyric.

Fun Fact! The Soft Boy’s bassist Matthew Seligman has worked as a session musician for artists like Sinéad O’Connor, Morrissey, and many more. He also played bass for David Bowie’s backing band during the ’85 Live Aid show.

Little has been written about what Seligman used during his time with the Soft Boys. But from what we’ve found, Seligman was an avid Fender Jazz Bass player (he especially preferred a black Jazz Bass) and even used a fretless when playing with Thomas Dolby. If you’re looking to re-create that instantly recognizable fretless bass sound, then you’re in luck! Sweetwater has an array of fretless bass guitars to choose from, including an Ibanez Bass Workshop SRF705 and a Warwick RockBass Corvette $$.

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Cocteau Twins: “The Hollow Men”

Known as a pioneer of the dream pop and shoegaze genres, Cocteau Twins captivated listeners with their mix of heavily modulated and reverberated guitars, soaring angelic vocals, and sometimes questionable lyrics. Band members Robin Guthrie (guitar), Elizabeth Fraser (vocals), and Simon Raymonde (bass) spanned multiple genres throughout their 18 years together. Their debut album, Garlands, was a dark and brooding release that could best be described as an aggressive post-punk album. Garlands was a sonic standout among the rest of their catalog, with Fraser’s eerie lyrics and Guthrie’s use of heavy distortion on a Roland TR-808 drum machine dominating the record. In comparison, their 1990 album Heaven or Las Vegas is a beautiful and lush record with some of the best vocal and guitar melodies you’ll ever hear. Heaven or Las Vegas is regarded as one of, if not the best dream pop albums ever, with songs like “Cherry-coloured Funk” and title track “Heaven or Las Vegas”cementing Cocteau Twins’ legacy as one of the genre’s best bands.

“The Hollow Men,” a song off Garlands, is an infectious yet ominous song that starts with one of the grooviest bass lines in the entire Cocteau Twins catalog. Shortly after, Guthrie’s heavily distorted and reverberated arpeggios and TR-808 drum machine beat fill out the song nicely. Fraser’s somewhat broken and tired vocal delivery floats on top of the instrumental and, with the addition of her screams and screeches, really nails this as one of the more haunting and eerie Cocteau Twins songs.

Fun Fact! If you’ve ever wondered what Elizabeth Fraser is singing about, then you’re not the only one — her singing style prioritizes consonant and vowel sounds over actual lyrics, and she even sings in different languages to get certain vowel sounds.

Although bassist Simon Raymonde was their primary bass player throughout Cocteau Twins’ tenure, original bassist Will Heggie played on Garlands. Heggie’s gear choices while with Cocteau Twins seem to be elusive. Luckily, my ears can pick out the effects he used on the record. The bass on Garlands is drenched in chorus, and a perfect pedal for duplicating those chorus tones is the EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine V2 polyphonic pitch-shifting modulator pedal. Heggie has been photographed playing several different types of basses during his time with Cocteau Twins (and Lowlife, a later band), such as a Rickenbacker bass guitar.

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Which Post-punk Bass Lines Would You Add?

There are many killer post-punk bass lines, but now I want to know which bass lines you would’ve chosen for this list! If you want to learn more about the gear listed here, or if you are looking for specific gear to dial in your post-punk bass sound, then give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700, and they’ll be happy to help!
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