1977年12月，组队不久的Joy Division决定录制4首新歌，这就是后来的"An Ideal For Living"当时他们仍以Warsaw作队名，结果发现这个名字与别人有冲突，于是在1978年1月正式更名为"Joy Division"并在1月28 日这天在曼彻斯特的Pip酒吧举行了正式演出。乐队的经济人也换成了Rob Gretton。

Joy Division's first release showcases clearly the group's punk roots. "Warsaw" is classic rushed hardcore complete with shouted vocals, while "Failures" simply slows the tempo a bit to become a punk-influenced hard-rock number. "No Love Lost" is almost an instrumental selection, with very late-entering vocals that seem like an afterthought. Most indicative of the group's later releases is the slower-tempo "Leaders of Men," which allows Ian Curtis' bleak lyrics to come to the fore. Sound quality and production values on this release are extremely primitive. This is a mildly interesting, if not great EP; with the re-release of tracks one and three on the rarities album Substance, the need for diehard Joy Division fans to obtain this platter has notably decreased.