School Of Seven Bells

School Of Seven Bells

School of Seven Bells, often shortened to SVIIB, is a dream pop, shoegaze and electronic group from New York, United States. It forms in Brooklyn in 2007 and centres on the work of Benjamin Curtis and twin sisters Alejandra Deheza and Claudia Deheza, with James Elliott also listed among the members. The band is named after a mythical South American pickpocket training academy.

Formation and early years

The initial lineup brings together Curtis on guitar, synthesizers, vocals and production, Alejandra Deheza on vocals and guitar, and Claudia Deheza on vocals and keyboards. Curtis and the Deheza sisters meet while all three are opening for Interpol, after which they end their commitments with earlier bands and move into a shared space with a home recording studio. The Deheza sisters are former members of On!Air!Library!, while Curtis has previously played in Secret Machines and Tripping Daisy.

Releases and activity

The band’s first single, “My Cabal,” appears in May 2007 on Sonic Cathedral in the UK. Later that year they issue the 12-inch and digital EP Face to Face on High Places on Table of the Elements and tour with Blonde Redhead in September and Prefuse 73 in November. Their debut album, Alpinisms, is released by Ghostly International in the United States in 2008, followed by Disconnect From Desire in 2010, with the singles “Heart Is Strange,” “Windstorm” and “I L U.”

The band’s third album, Ghostory, arrives in 2012 and is supported by the singles “The Night,” “Lafaye” and “Scavenger.” Later that year School of Seven Bells issues the EP Put Your Sad Down. A fourth and final album, SVIIB, is announced for release in 2016, preceded by the single “Open Your Eyes.”

Line-up changes

Claudia Deheza leaves the group in October 2010 for personal reasons, after which the band continues as a duo. Benjamin Curtis dies in New York City on 29 December 2013 after being diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma earlier that year.