School of Seven Bells have always been a bit of a dream like band. Their two previous releases Alpinisms and Disconnect From Desire have set this tone and their new release Ghostory is a new step forward on their journey. It retains much of the same feel that the previous records have developed, while experimenting with new ways of achieving this tone.

The album opens with the lead single “The Night”, a synth heavy tune full of catchy riffs. What I love about this bands’ production is the fact that Alejandra Deheza’s vocals seem so distant, yet they are the most important aspect in each song. It’s the kind of music you listen to on a rainy day when things are inevitably going to be a little blurred. That being said, it’s also a very atmospheric type of sound, that is strangely calming despite its upbeat nature.

“Lafaye” has a constant running hi-hat and strong beat, but again combined with the vocals it retains its calmness. In one section of the song, instead of the usual chorus and its expected chord progression, it retains the one chord throughout the chorus to mix things up, making it more reminiscent of the “verses”. I do like this and how such a simple concept can change up an entire song.

“Reappear” has a totally different feel to the most of the songs on the LP. Simple chordal work with ambient synth sounds to complement the vocals in their beauty. “Scavenger” brings the albums back to it’s upbeat state with a rhythmic riff that works in accordance with the melodic riffs throughout the tune to create a well balanced track.

Overall, School of Seven Bell’s LP is much the same as what the band have released previously, but really, if you’ve got a good thing going, keep it coming right? There are many good tracks on the LP, but due to the use of the same effect on the vocals in each track, they all kind of meld together. This creates an amazing soundtrack and album as a whole, but also slightly weakens its appeal due to the lack of identification. However, I for one don’t think this is such a bad thing. You need to listen to an album like this once in a while.

Review Score: 7.6 out of 10