The Punishment of Luxury is the thirteenth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and the third since their 2006 reformation.

[1] In December 2016, OMD frontman Andy McCluskey expounded: "We've taken that idea and extrapolated it into sort of... a metaphor for modern life, really.

[8] The track "La Mitrailleuse" (French for "The Machinegun")[2] was released on 15 May;[1] its Henning M. Lederer-directed video is based on the 1915 painting by C. R. W. Nevinson after which the song is named.

It's the first album since 1981's multi-million selling Architecture & Morality on which they've succeeded in perfectly balancing the creative tension between their experimental leanings and their ear for a pop tune to create a cohesive whole.

"[15] Irish Times critic Jennifer Gannon described the record as "synth-pop at its most charming and effortless",[17] while Tim Sendra of AllMusic called it "another strong showing from a band that could have packed it in years ago and become a nostalgia act, but have instead continued to make fine pop art".

"[23] On the other hand, PopMatters' John Bergstrom observed a "less-than-fresh" anti-consumerism sentiment, which he felt made for a "good album rather than a great one".

[19] The Hampshire Chronicle suggested that The Punishment of Luxury had been misinterpreted by some, writing, "This isn't some banal, [Bill] Hicks-esque "Get a soul!"

[13][15][16] Journalists featured The Punishment of Luxury in lists of the best albums of 2017,[24] while the Hampshire Chronicle and Salon considered it to be one of the year's most underrated records.

[27] Critic John Earls argued that "you won't get a better late-period synth-pop classic album" than The Punishment of Luxury.

"[29] The Athens Voice declared OMD, on the strength of The Punishment of Luxury, to be "one of the few names of their generation who can still create music that inspires".

[31] In 2020, singer Boy George streamed a cover version of "The View from Here" via his Instagram channel, adding that he wished he had written the song.