| When I Die, Will I Get Better? | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 September 2020 | |||
| Recorded | February 2020 | |||
| Studio | The Ranch Production House (Southampton) | |||
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| Length | 38:41 | |||
| Label | Church Road | |||
| Producer | Lewis Johns | |||
| Svalbard chronology | ||||
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| Singles from When I Die, Will I Get Better? | ||||
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When I Die, Will I Get Better? is the third studio album by British post-hardcore band Svalbard, released on 25 September 2020. Recorded in February 2020 with long-time producer Lewis Johns, the album incorporates more of a shoegaze-influenced sound in contrast to Svalbard's previous album It's Hard to Have Hope (2018), as well as more clean singing, vocal harmonies, and complex instrumental parts. Lyrically, it discusses themes of mental health, with a focus on depression and suicide, as well as feministic topics including domestic abuse, online sexism and objectification. It was Svalbard's only album with bassist Alex Heffernan.
Originally intended for release through Holy Roar Records, When I Die, Will I Get Better? was ultimately released through Church Road Records after Svalbard severed ties with Holy Roar less than three weeks before its release, when several women accused the label's founder of rape and sexual misconduct. It received positive reviews from critics upon release, and was named one of the best albums of 2020 by BrooklynVegan, Decibel, Kerrang! and Metal Hammer. Most of Svalbard's scheduled tour dates during 2020 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; in 2021 and 2022, the band embarked on several tours of Europe and the United Kingdom in support of the album.