Since forming in Brighton in 2008, Esben and the Witch have forged a sound that springs forth from minds soaked in influences far and beyond any standard set of musical touchstones. Nature and literature, art and science, history and the unknown – the trio eschews the everyday for inspiration drawn from sources weird and wonderful, as well as the occasional Scott Walker and PJ Harvey record.

Whilst their music was finding its way out there so were they. Initially sharing stages, both home and abroad, with a wealth of critically acclaimed artists including The xx, Wild Beasts, Efterklang, The Big Pink, Deerhunter and Sian Alice Group helped them find their feet as a live proposition. It was with the release of their debut 7” that they ventured out on their first headline UK tour and in the summer of 2010, they took their ever-evolving live set to numerous European festivals.

The second half of 2010 also saw Esben and the Witch find a permanent home with a worldwide deal with legendary indie, Matador Records, to become the label’s only UK signing and placing them alongside Sonic Youth and Cat Power on their impressive roster. With the ink drying, they headed to North America to make their American bow with a six-week stint there, mostly touring with Foals on their breakthrough tour of the continent but also to play at their new label’s much talked about 21st Birthday bash in Las Vegas.

The first fruits of their relationship came with the release of the Marching Song EP in September, which was pressed on 12” and served up as a taster of the debut album, Violet Cries. The accompanying video, with the band appearing more blooded and beaten with each subsequent frame, also hinted at the darkness that lurks within.

Released on January 31st 2011, Violet Cries is an uncompromising and starkly beautiful record. The rewards over the ten tracks are plentiful, but with the band veering away from instant gratification and choosing to challenge and unsettle the listener instead, it’s clear that they are a band with an agenda; “the one thing we felt we had to maintain in this process was that it had to be new, it had to be something which we felt had not been explored previously,” read a band statement to fans when announcing its release. Achieving this with aplomb, Violet Cries, the Chorea EP and subsequent concept-EP Hexagons – released in November 2011, bookending a fantastically rich and creative year for the trio – confirm what their early adopters already knew; Esben and the Witch are heading up a raft of new bands who are not only lurking in the shadows, they’re flourishing there.