Title: Reason In Decline Artist: Archers of Loaf Label: Merge Records Product Type: VINYL LP UPC: 673855079516 Genre: Indie Rock/Pop Release Date: 2022-10-21 Number of Discs: 1 Additional Details: DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CARD
Reason in Decline, Archers of Loaf's first studio album since the 1998 release of White Trash Heroes, is no nostalgic, low-impact reboot. When they emerged from North Carolina's '90s indie-punk incubator, the Archers' hurtling, sly, gloriously dissonant roar was a mythologized touchstone of slacker-era refusal. But this new LP is an entirely different noise. In fact, it's a startling revelation. Guitarists Eric Bachmann and Eric Johnson, once headstrong smartasses inciting a series of artful pileups on the band's four studio albums and EP, are now a fluidly complementary, sonically advanced unit. Notably, Johnson's signature trebly lines peal clearly above the din instead of struggling to be heard. Today, singer-songwriter Bachmann's lyrics balance righteous wrath with a complex tangle of adult perspective. He still spits bile, but it's less likely to concern scene politics, music trends, or shady record labels thwarting the dreams of a young rock band. Bachmann puts it bluntly: "What I really think about going back to the Archers and doing a new record is that the three other members of this band are awesome. It's not about responding to the past or whatever our bullshit legacy is. I just wanted to work with these guys because I knew the chemistry we had and that we still have. I knew that was rare."
Tracks: 1.1 Human 1.2 Saturation and Light 1.3 Screaming 1.4 Undercover 1.5 Mama Was a War 1.6 Profiteer 1.7 Aimee 1.8 In the Surface Noise 1.9 Breaking Even 1.10 Misinformation Age 1.11 The Moment You End 1.12 War Is Wide Open
