Unknown Pleasures is the debut studio album by English post-punk band Joy Division. It was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport in April 1979, with Martin Hannett as producer, and was released on 15 June 1979 by Factory Records. It followed an abandoned album for RCA Records.

No singles were released from Unknown Pleasures, though the release of “Transmission” boosted its sales, despite the album failing to chart at the time. It has since gone on to receive critical acclaim and is considered a pioneering post-punk record.

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band consisted of singer Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris.

Formed by Sumner and Hook right after they attended a Sex Pistols gig, Joy Division transcended their punk roots to develop a sound and style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. The sleeve's Germanic imagery drew criticism and speculation on their politics, not helped by later name changes. Joy Division's debut album Unknown Pleasures was released in 1979 on Wilson's inde­pendent label Factory Records. Aided by Martin Hannett's sparse production, it was a critical success with the British music press.