Wash the Sins Not Only the Face is the second studio album by British rock band Esben and the Witch released on 21 January 2013.

No amount of splashing can scrub that out" giving it 7/10, and Clash said "...everything about this album is bigger than what has gone before and reveals an energised band with a real belief in what they’re doing.

On 31 January they released Violet Cries shortly after the band's shortlisting in the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll.

The album was well critically acclaimed and went at number 13 in the UK Indie Chart, AllMusic awarded it three and a half stars out of five, calling it "a promising and often captivating debut".

The writing for the album was done while they were isolated at White Magpie and Ariel cottage in East Sussex,[2] where they lived, in peace, for a few months.

The album's title was inspired by an ancient Greek palindrome they found while touring Violet Cries.

The album's opening song, "Iceland Spar", starts the journey by the sun rising at the beginning of the day.

The title refers to the haze on the horizon and the lyrics talk about mirages and optical illusions caused by the sun.

[4] Esben and the Witch were driving through Texas at night, and saw oil pump jacks working and inspired "Putting Down the Prey".

They were once driving and all the lights were gone except for the headlamps, whilst a train came past and the driver, apparently, started to descend into madness.

In March a promotional CD was issued for the second track "Slow Wave", but was never released on any other format to date.

They posted a video on YouTube of short clips of each song and the album cover slowly shriveling up.

[9] AllMusics Heather Phares said that "On their debut album, Violet Cries, Esben and the Witch excelled at creating a mood that was equally bewitching and ominous.

When this mood collided with a memorable melody or hook, it showed just how powerful the band could be; on Wash the Sins Not Only the Face, they deliver on that promise with more nuance and more confidence", concluding with "The opposite of a sophomore slump, Wash the Sins Not Only the Face is sleek and spectral, and finds Esben and the Witch casting their spell even more successfully.

"[10] Gareth James of Clash said that it was "Moody, frenzied, claustrophobic and yet hugely melodic guitar music is a heady and inviting brew.