School of Seven Bells - SVIIB

Over the past three years, the story of School of Seven Bells has been well-documented, but it’s only now that the band’s Alejandra Deheza will be able to offer up their final chapter. ‘SVIIB’ comes accompanied with a bittersweet story: written in the summer of 2012, the album bears some of the final work of Benjamin Curtis, who passed away after battling T-cell lymphoblastic lymphona throughout 2013.

The remarkable part, though, lies in the fact that two years on, the pair’s work is able to shine. Regardless of the context surrounding it, their fourth full-length is their boldest effort yet. From the atmospheric Drive-esque opening of ‘Ablaze’, there’s a brightness within the record that seems unextinguishable, while its somewhat prophetic lyrics work to heighten its bittersweet edge.

There’s the glowing brilliance of ‘On My Heart’, through to the delicate intricacy of ‘Elias’. ‘Open Your Eyes’ comes with a sense of comfort, all warm synths and gorgeous vocals, before ‘Music Takes Me’ veers the record in a more otherworldly direction. Packed with brilliance, ambition and warmth, ‘SVIIB’ may be the full stop on the band’s work together, but it’s an album that will stand as the perfect goodbye.