Today, Svalbard have released their final song, ‘If We Could Still Be Saved‘.
Revealed two days before the start of their final UK headline tour, Svalbard open up for the final time. On the track, members Serena Cherry, Liam Phelan, Mark Lilley and Matt Francis tear through 5 minutes of heart-wrenching shoegaze and pumelling post-metal, delivering sharp bitter bile and shimmering lush melodies in equal measure. They bow out with the raw, crushing honesty and ingenious musicianship that they’re cherished for.
Serena Cherry stated: “We spend most of our lives unaware of finality. Blissfully oblivious to when those musical notes played will be our last. So, when we can see an end in sight for something, it distorts the view. Like a funeral marked in your calendar a year in advance. Appreciation shows it’s sheepish face and whispers: ‘sorry I took so long.’ This is the last time we will release a song as Svalbard. Its a song not just heavy with riffs but heavy with sentiment, reflecting on our 15 years as a band. It’s also a parting gift to all of the people who have supported us. Think of it as the metal version of “Goodbye” by the Spice Girls!”
Stream ‘If We Could Still Be Saved‘ here: https://Svalbard.bfan.link/if-we-could-still-be-saved
LYRICS
If We Could Still Be Saved
Our last gasp
Has been stifled
By our own sigh of defeat
But I refuse
To let this pain
Rewrite our history
The screams will fade into echoes
The smiles now trapped in old photos
The way we were before
Now fractured and torn
My heart is broken
Yet reborn
What’s one more rejection?
What’s one more loss?
I now fear nothing
Do your worst.
Staring at the scar on my heart
Knowing that love was there once.
Our last dance
Has been waiting
Beneath a sky
So bittersweet
And I vow
To keep this flame
Burning inside of me.
The love will stay in the silence
The memories will last for a lifetime.
The way that we are now
Through time we are bound
So many adventures
And stories to tell
Hold onto those moments
Hold onto each other
Because there is beauty in this being over.
I will miss you everyday for the rest of my life.
Svalbard‘s latest and final record, The Weight Of The Mask, is their most devastatingly raw and beautiful work to-date, overflowing with mesmerising performances from Serena Cherry, Liam Phelan, Mark Lilley and Matt Francis, transcending boundaries across shoegaze, post-hardcore, black metal and more. Uncompromising and highly charged, the record spans themes intrinsic to humanity, such as emotional strength and depression, to unrequited love and vulnerability.
Order The Weight Of The Mask HERE
Listen to The Weight Of The Mask in full on YouTube HERE
Across a fifteen-year career, Svalbard have released four studio albums, three EPs and several split releases. Whilst continually refining their distinctive blend of euphoric black metal, post-rock and d-beat, theyincorporated a few more surprising influences along the way. From soft, mournful singing to progressive guitar leads, which showcased a sensitive dynamic, lending impact to their most crushing moments – of which there are undoubtedly many. There’s been no poetry, no ambiguity – just direct, raw honesty as the quartet have tackled some very uncomfortable subjects head on. Svalbard are heavy in the most evocative sense of the word, with blunt lyrics equally as important as the music.
Svalbard previously shared this message to their fans: “After much reflection, we have decided that 2026 will be the final year of Svalbard. Our final UK tour will be in November 2025. Following that, we plan to do a final EU tour, a final Japanese tour and a few more select farewell shows in 2026. Thank you to everyone who has supported us during our 15 years as a band. Your support has meant the world to us. We’ve shared so many unforgettable moments with you all throughout our career, and we look forward to commemorating our final year as a band with you in 2026.”
Serena Cherry also shared: “From the moment we formed Svalbard in 2011, all we wanted was to play loud and play shows. Every single moment was exciting to us, from playing DIY squat shows to major metal festivals all over Europe. I think we will always feel a slight state of disbelief over what our noisy little band from Bristol managed to achieve. We never wanted to create music that was easy to pigeonhole, and I feel proud that we always stayed true to ourselves musically and never restricted our creativity within the genre rule book. The support we received over the years as a band is something that I will carry in my heart forever. It’s a testament to the openmindedness of the metal community that our sound and our outspokenness was embraced with open arms. I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Svalbard, it’s been an incredible journey and we could not have done it without you.”
Svalbard are:
Vocals/Guitar – Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar – Liam Phelan
Drums – Mark Lilley
Bass – Matt Francis
