At this point, there’s no sense in ranking them better or worse relative to each other. Technique is another astounding New Order release. With this album, you can here the creeping shadow of the ’90s (less than a year off at the time of Technique‘s release) with the obvious house influences. Listening to the New Order discography with the benefit of hindsight, house/techno was always a milestone looming on the band’s horizon, provided they stayed on the same dance trajectory that they set themselves on starting with Power, Corruption & Lies, but the way that New Order just doubles down on the house with the opener, “Fine Time,” is startling. Yes, they have heard the genre developments; they’re all-in; no looking back.

At least, not until the second and third tracks, “All the Way” and “Love Less,” which are sweet, vintage ’80s college rock that bear at least a little resemblance to R.E.M.’s IRS releases in addition to early New Order. It’s a lovely one-two punch moment that provides a welcome familiarity before plunging back into the modern-inflected sounds of “Round & Round,” a song which seems to take a bit from all three previous songs and make a convincing fusion of house and college rock that the album grooves on through its conclusion. It’s not as much of a statement of innovation as “Fine Time,” but it’s a more sustainable model for the band.

Going forward, I’m interesting in how closely New Order, at this point an aging band, will navigate the trends of electronica in a decade that saw the genre experience a practical Cambrian explosion of growth and evolution. Knowing the expansive future of the scene which New Order had wedded itself to with Technique, there is certainly room for the band to adapt to any number of sounds. A band can’t push itself forever, but with Technique, New Order certainly seems determined to try.