By 1981, the members of U2 were undergoing an existential crisis—the first of many the group would endure in the decades ahead. Boy, the band’s fiery 1980 debut, had yielded a handful of anthemic singles (including “I Will Follow”), and established U2 as a ferocious live act. But the album’s success had also reinforced the group’s odd-men-out status: After all, U2 was too outsized, and too hopeful, for the dour post-punk scene—yet still too jagged for the mainstream. And while the group’s sound had been agreeably scrappy on Boy, it’s clear the band members didn’t want to play clubs and colleges forever. This was a band that didn’t seem to quite fit in anywhere. As the first line in “I Will Follow” goes: I was on the outside. So by the time Bono, the Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton started thinking about a follow-up, they were unsure where to head next. Should they try to go big? Or should they simply stay in place and survive? “They were a bit scared of the world,” longtime U2 producer Steve Lillywhite later said. “[And] what they did was, they shrunk a little bit.” As a result, October feels less like a departure from Boy and more like a companion piece—a record that captures the band’s urgency, but offers few surprises. It certainly didn’t help that Bono lost a suitcase containing notes and lyrics right before recording began, immediately throwing October into chaos. Also complicating things: the fact that three-quarters of the band were struggling to square their long-held religious beliefs with their newfound notoriety (according to Lillywhite—who’s no doubt endured countless late-night self-doubt sessions from the band members over the decades—there were Bibles scattered around the studio during October). Still, this is early-era U2 we’re talking about; the boys may have been confused, but they sure as hell sound confident. And while October lacks the bulletproof songwriting of Boy—or the transcendent fury of 1983’s War—there are still plenty of peak moments here. “Gloria” remains one of the Edge’s most exacting and exciting guitar showcases, one that finds him alternating between spiky riffs and elegant swan dives. “I Fall Down” and “I Threw a Brick Through a Window,” meanwhile, merge the gnarliness of post-punk with slick production (in a good way). And “Tomorrow,” with its gentle strumming and far-away bagpipes, is a gorgeous ode to Bono’s late mother. Like the best U2 songs, it’s equal parts openhearted and defiant. But “Tomorrow” also points toward the direction the band would be taking in the decade ahead: The more Bono sang directly to that one listener sitting in their bedroom, or in the back of the club, the more powerful U2 would become. Looking back now, it’s kind of hilarious that the band members started work on October wondering if they should try to go big. As if they ever had a choice.