Republic came out in May 1993, and it's a pretty loaded record in New Order's story - their sixth studio album, and the one they made partly to keep The Hacienda and Factory Records afloat before the whole thing collapsed anyway. It was also their first album not released through Factory, made during a period when the band members could barely stand being in a room together, and it ended up being their last new material for eight years as they went their separate ways for a while afterwards.

Sound-wise it's New Order doing what they do best but with a glossier, more polished sheen than Technique - big, radio-friendly synths and guitars sitting alongside proper dancefloor energy, courtesy of producer Stephen Hague. There's a bittersweet, slightly melancholic undertow running through a lot of it too, which makes sense given what was going on behind the scenes, but it never tips over into gloom. It's really a continuation of that unmistakable New Order sound - part indie guitar band, part club act - just tidied up and made that bit more accessible.

Regret is the obvious highlight, all shimmering guitars and one of the band's most enduring choruses, and it's aged brilliantly. Spooky is a genuine dancefloor gem, while Ruined in a Day carries real weight given its lyrics about the Factory fallout. Avalanche closes things out beautifully too, a mostly instrumental comedown with Gillian Gilbert's rare lead vocal adding a lovely, understated note to finish on. It's not always mentioned in the same breath as their absolute classics, but it's full of genuinely great songs and captures a band in transition, which makes it well worth digging back into.