Closure / Continuation (White Vinyl)

After more than a decade of silence, Closure/Continuation finds Porcupine Tree returning not with a roar, but with precision, patience, and purpose. Their first album since The Incident (2009), it’s a record shaped by secrecy, collaboration, and the quiet passing of time — a project that could easily have remained buried on a hard drive, but instead re-emerged as a reminder of what made the band essential in the first place.

Written and recorded by Steven Wilson, Gavin Harrison, and Richard Barbieri across sporadic sessions over ten years, Closure/Continuation bears the marks of its fragmented genesis. Tracks like Harridan and Chimera’s Wreck originated in casual jam sessions between Wilson and Harrison, with basslines as the backbone rather than guitars. The absence of longtime bassist Colin Edwin is felt in spirit if not sound — Wilson’s playing fills the space with a guitarist’s sensibility, taut and angular, pushing the band’s textures in new directions.

Musically, the album dials down the heavy metal leanings of the band’s previous outings, favouring expansive, intricate arrangements and shifting time signatures (the 42 changes in Of the New Day a case in point). It’s unmistakably Porcupine Tree, yet there’s a restraint here, a sense of the trio exploring the edges of their shared identity without rushing to grand conclusions. The title speaks for itself: is this closure, or the start of something new?

Singles like Herd Culling and Rats Return hum with political unease and existential dread, while the album as a whole forgoes pop concessions in favour of immersive, slow-burn songcraft. This isn’t Porcupine Tree seeking chart glory — though Closure/Continuation still landed at number two on the UK Albums Chart and topped the CD and vinyl charts — but a band reclaiming its space on its own terms.

Closure/Continuation is a measured, quietly triumphant return. It doesn’t try to reinvent the band’s sound — instead, it reflects on where they’ve been, what’s been lost, and what still binds them together. It’s a comeback that doesn’t shout for attention, but rewards those willing to listen closely.