The trio formed in 2008 when Fisher convinced Copeman to make the music he was working on available to the public, and the pair drafted Davies to become their singer. The band's live act drew attention, as did their self-released 2009 EP 33. Esben & the Witch played gigs with Deerhunter, the xx, and Foals, and released the single "Lucia, At the Precipice" in 2010. That May, they contributed their song "Corridors," from 33, as the soundtrack to an installation by artist Karl Sadler as part of the London edition of the Creators Project. Later in 2010, Matador Records signed the group and released the Marching Song single that October; in December, it was announced the band made the long list for the BBC's Sound of 2011. That January, their debut album, Violet Cries, arrived to critical acclaim. Early in 2013, the group resurfaced with Wash the Sins Not Only the Face, a more polished and focused set of songs. The following year, Esben & the Witch left Matador to form their own label, Nostromo, and released a split EP with Thought Forms. A New Nature, the band's third studio album, arrived in September 2014 and was engineered by Steve Albini, who captured the increasing heaviness of their live shows. A move to Berlin prompted further changes in the group's sound on Older Terrors, a set of four epic-length songs incorporating metal, prog, and post-rock released by Season of Mist in November 2016. ~ Heather Phares