A New Nature
Studio album by
Esben and the Witch
Released31 August 2014
Recorded2014;Electrical Audio
(Chicago)
GenreAlternative rock, post rock, post-punk
Length54:28
LabelNostromo Records
ProducerSteve Albini
Esben and the Witch chronology
Untitled EP
(2014)		 A New Nature
(2014)
Singles from A New Nature
  1. "Blood Teachings"
    Released: 23 June 2014
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Drowned in Sound8/10[2]
NME(7/10)[3]
TLOBF(8.5/10)[4]
AllMusic(8/10)[5]

A New Nature is the third studio album by British alternative rock band Esben and the Witch, released on 1 September 2014 through their own label Nostromo Records.

Background

In early 2014, the band left Matador Records and made their own label Nostromo Records. They pledged on PledgeMusic, which is an online Direct-to-Fan music platform that facilitates musicians reaching out to their fanbase to pre-sell, market, and distribute music projects including recordings, music videos, and concerts. On PledgeMusic they put pre-orders for their third album up, in which some include a hand-made bonus EP called And New Life Blossoms From the Ruins, and the money went towards the recording costs.[6]

On April 7, 2014, they released an untitled split EP with Thought Forms, featuring two songs "No Dog" and "Butoh".[7] On April 7, they performed "No Dog" and two new songs "Dig Your Fingers In" and "Those Dreadful Hammers" on BBC Radio 6.[8] They began recording with Steve Albini in April 2014 at Electrical Audio studios in Chicago.[9][10] Their song "Strangers In a Sunless Valley" was featured on the third Audioscope Music For A Good Home compilation in May.[11]

They announced the album in June 2014, and have released the first single from the album, "Blood Teachings", on iTunes. The album was scheduled to be released on 1 September 2014.

Music

The Guardian compared lead single "Blood Teachings" to early PJ Harvey.[12] The Quietus said that ""Blood Teachings" is a good case in point, with its Swans-esque heaving repetition providing a soundbed over which Rachel Davies unfurls a mesmeric vocal, not dissimilar to former Albini collaborator PJ Harvey, building to a razing, fuzzed crescendo."[13]

The band said of the album:

"We wanted to create a record that had a level of purity to it. To strip away the layers and loops and see what lay beneath. To keep things naked, unadorned and raw. The three of us, in a room, making noise. We looked to create a more primal record, full of human emotion and sonic intensity. Drawing on themes of endurance, strength, determination and self-actualisation. Themes that have always inspired us but perhaps, only now, a few years down the line, a few years of touring under our belts, we feel we have the confidence and maturity to explore and shout about."[10]

Track listing

LP[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Press Heavenwards!"10:16
2."Those Dreadful Hammers"3:34
3."Dig Your Fingers In"4:39
4."No Dog"6:01
5."The Jungle"14:32
6."Wooden Star"6:51
7."Blood Teachings"7:54
8."Bathed In Light"2:01
iTunes Cover[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Press Heavenwards!"10:16
2."Dig Your Fingers In"4:39
3."No Dog"6:01
4."The Jungle"14:32
5."Those Dreadful Hammers"3:34
6."Wooden Star"6:51
7."Blood Teachings"7:54
8."Bathed In Light"2:01

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom 31 August 2014 DD Nostromo Records
1 September 2014 CD, LP

References

  1. ↑ "Album Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Bland, Benjamin (1 September 2014). "Album Review". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Cooke, Robert (31 August 2014). "Album Review". NME.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Day, Lawrence (31 August 2014). "Album Review". thelineofbestfit.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Monger, James Christopher (31 August 2014). "Album Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Esben and the Witch: New Album". Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "Esben and the Witch: New Album". Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "ESBENANDTHEWITCH on Twitter". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "ESBENANDTHEWITCH on Twitter". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Esben And The Witch Confirm New Album". 24 June 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Music For A Good Home 3, by Audioscope". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  12. ↑ Richards, Sam (24 June 2014). "Julian Casablancas gets political and Gary Oldman has a rant – plus the rest of today's breaking pop culture news". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "The Quietus - News - Esben And The Witch Announce New Album". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "ESBENANDTHEWITCH on Twitter". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". iTunes. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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