Post-punk and the role of the rhythm section as the primary creative driver is something that gets obscured by the visual dominance of the guitar.

In classic rock, the rhythm section supports the guitar. In post-punk, the guitar supports the rhythm section — or, more precisely, in the best post-punk the relationship between them is reciprocal rather than hierarchical. The bass player and the drummer are as important to the compositional identity of the record as the guitar player.

This changes who you should be paying attention to when you listen. The bass player in Joy Division is doing work that is musically more sophisticated than the guitar parts. The drummer in Gang of Four is creating the physical sensation of post-punk in a way the guitar couldn't do on its own.

I've started thinking about post-punk as primarily a rhythm section genre that happens to have guitars rather than as a guitar genre with a good rhythm section. This reframe changes how you hear every record in the tradition.