By the time they'd released their second album, 1984's It's My Life, Talk Talk had already started moving away from the New Wave and synth-pop footings they were built on and towards a more experimental sonic palette. As luck would have it, the record's title-track first single went Top 40 worldwide. It should've marked a logical step into the mainstream for the London-based trio, who first fashioned themselves as part of the New Romantic movement (think Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet). But Talk Talk always strove to challenge their artistic boundaries through the course of their decade-long career. Led by frontman Mark Hollis' spacious, intimate arrangements, the band began to merge ambient textures into what might otherwise be accessible tunes, starting with It's My Life's nooks and crannies. The cosmic jazz elements and sprawling prog-rock that distinguished their last two albums, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, only further distanced Talk Talk from their pop-oriented beginnings—and made them beloved art-rockers by the time they disbanded in 1992. Hollis died in 2019 at the age of 64, but his influence is deeply felt, from Radiohead's artful, socially provocative concept albums—not to mention Thom Yorke's breathy vocals—to No Doubt's chart-topping cover of “It's My Life”.