Album Review: Esben And The Witch - Wash The Sins Not Only The Face

There's a lot made of the pressures placed on breakthrough bands to follow up their success with the difficult second album. And often, that pressure is very real, especially for bands that have no idea why they 'made it' in the first place, or what their 'sound' is supposed to be. Then there are bands like Esben And The Witch, who with their second effort, Wash The Sins Not Only The Face, have proven they know exactly what their sound is, and where improvements can be made.

Wash The Sins Not Only The Face is a marked step forward for the band, taking all that made 2011 debut, Violet Cries, a standout and bringing the sound into sharper focus. Violet Cries, with its thundering drums, trebly guitars and cacophonous vocal arrangements, proved at times to be exhausting to listen to, the layers upon layers becoming… unsettling. With their latest effort, the band have taken those elements and arranged them more coherently. The result? A more cohesive, digestible, but still unsettling record.

If there is one thing EATW have got down, it's their aesthetic. The band's name, their sound, their cover art and lyrics; it all functions in such a way that when listening to the album you find yourself immersed in their world. With words inspired by the likes of TS Eliot and Sylvia Plath, and a name derived from a macabre Danish fairytale, it's little wonder the band are fond of visiting challenging sonic territory. In this case, there is just a little more intent behind the noise.