English moodists Esben and the Witch employ the same tools of gothy grandeur on new single "Deathwaltz" that we've come to expect: agitato, Godspeed!ian guitars, thunderous drums, eerie synth wafts, and the high, bright singing of Rachel Davies. Fans of Cocteau Twins, as ever, should take note.
The song marks the first taste of their second LP. It's called, evocatively, Wash the Sins Not Only the Face, and comes out on January 21st, via Matador.
The soaring guitars theoretically hold more 'uplift' than their earlier, doomier jams, but peer beneath their skyward arcs, and into the shadows below, and there's still plenty of darkness; Davies' sweet voice singing things of not much sweetness. This is a "Deathwaltz," after all... Photo © Jonathan Hyde
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