New Order

The Low-Life album (1985) refined and sometimes mixed the two styles, brandishing "The Perfect Kiss" (the video for which was filmed by Jonathan Demme) and "Sub-culture". In February 1986, the soundtrack album to Pretty in Pink featuring "Shellshock" was released on A&M Records. The instrumental version of "Thieves Like Us" appeared in the film but did not make the soundtrack. Also, the instrumental "Elegia" is in the film and not on the soundtrack.

Brotherhood (1986) divided the two approaches onto separate album sides. The album notably featured "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "Angel Dust" (available elsewhere under the guise of "Evil Dust"), a track which marries a synth break beat with Low-Life era guitar effects. "Brotherhood" also featured "All Day Long", a tale of child abuse. In addition, the album also included "Every Little Counts," in which Sumner dissolves into laughter after having sung the line "I think you are a pig, you should be in a zoo", affording the track successor-status to 1983's "Your Silent Face".

While New Order toured North America with friends Echo & The Bunnymen, the summer of 1987 saw the release of the compilation Substance that featured the new single "True Faith". Substance was an important album in terms of collecting the group's singles (in the 12" format) onto CD for the first time and featured two new versions of "Temptation" and "Confusion", respectively entitled "Temptation '87" and "Confusion '87". A second disc featured several of the B-sides from the singles on the first disc as well as additional A-sides "Procession" and "Murder" and another new song "1963". The album's main single "True Faith", with its surreal video, became a hit on MTV and the band's first American top 40 hit. The song's B-side "1963" (originally planned on being the A-side until the group's label convinced them to release "True Faith" instead) would later be released as a single in its own right several years later.