Archers of Loaf have released an animated video for their roaring new single “Screaming Undercover.” The song is the latest from their first new full-length studio album in 24 years, Reason in Decline, out October 21st via Merge Records.

“‘Screaming Undercover’ is definitely the heart of the new record,” says Eric Bachmann. “It came out quickly and it was the first lyric I actually finished for this collection of songs. I felt good after it had been written because I finally knew the point of view from which I could write more Archers songs. It had an urgent frustration in it that expressed what we were all feeling towards what the pandemic had taken from us, as well as the anger I felt personally towards the Trump administration and its dysfunctional embrace of anti-intellectualism, which unfortunately still seems to be infecting the culture and political climate.”

Reason in Decline is a 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.”

Photo Courtesy: Kate Fix