Ebsen and The Witch have been doing alright of late, living up to the hype and going from strength to strength. Formed in 2008 the Brighton trio signed to Matador Records earlier this year breaking the six year drought signing UK bands. The band are hitting the US throughout October before returning to the UK for a few more dates.
‘Marching song’ opens with swirling feedback erupting like the walking dead, creating a haunting drone. You can almost feel the tension that something horrific and terrifying is about to happen. Pounding deep drums sweep in laying the way for the sonic destruction of guitar. The sound clears and Rachael Davies’ dark vocal reminding me of the Duke Spirit’s Leila Moss delivers poetic lyrics over a spiky guitar line. The drama of Marching Song forever builds and unexpectedly drops giving it a great and powerful dynamic.
‘In a wilderness of foggy thoughts / battling with your mind retorts / walking, on empty plains where desserts so cold / even drowning rain soldier on to this marching song.’
The video is just as unsettling, each member is shot in profile and as the song progresses deeper and darker each of their faces take a beating, their injuries becoming more severe and disturbing.
‘Done Because We Are Too Menny’ is another spooky, eerie hypnotic track on the verge of horror flick soundtrack, as even when it’s at it’s most calm there is something deeply haunting about this. It’s great stuff and something I would imagine could be epic to watch live.
‘Souvenirs’ brings synth into the soundscapes amongst delayed guitars and a clever beat drowned in reverb. There are elements from The Knife/Fever Ray starting to shine through after a few listens. Marching song is definitely the strongest track of the three although each one leaves me with chills and wanting more. Excellent stuff from a very dark and creative band.
Ben
