The band were formed in Bristol in 2011 by co-lead vocalists and guitarists Serena Cherry and Liam Phelan with drummer Mark Lilley,[1] and have been joined by bassist Matt Francis since 2020.

[3] Their third extended play, Flightless Birds, was released in October of that year through Tangled Talk Records.

[6] Svalbard released their first and second studio albums, One Day All This Will End (2015) and It's Hard to Have Hope (2018), through Holy Roar.

In September 2020, after Fitzpatrick was accused of sexual misconduct, Svalbard split from the label and signed to Church Road Records a week prior to its release of their third album When I Die, Will I Get Better?

[8][9] The album brought Svalbard to the attention of Nuclear Blast Records,[10] who signed the band in June 2022 and reissued their back catalogue.