There's nothing here that sounds like "Harnessed in Slums", okay? But let's judge the first Archers in Loaf album in 24 years on its own terms. Reason in Decline, out Friday on Merge Records, reveals a more mannered Loaf, but the band's still capable of crafting a uniquely American brand of superb indie.
Early single "In the Surface Noise" offered up a sleeker summation of the Archers' approach, the rough edges here, just better produced, while "Screaming Undercover" brings a familiar jitery energy to the fore. Those numbers are juxtaposed with smoother offerings, such as "Aimee", a bright ballad, even as "Saturation and Light" ups the volume as the tune straddles a nearly mainstream sense of alt-rock. Eric Bachmann had throat surgery so there's a reason that some of the approach of the band had to change. And it feels unfair to expect Archers of Loaf in 2022 to sound like they sounded in 1998. So it comes down to how much you can acccept this newer style?
I think a few listens won me over a bit. "Misinformation Age" is angsty in a way that suggests earlier Archers releases, even if the players are older now. "The Moment You End", a real highlight here, illustrates how this band's progression has been successful. The tune has jittery guitar-figures from Eric Johnson and Bachmann, but the hooks are quietly insistent. The vibe is similar to older Archers records, even if the sound has evolved. It would be churlish to refuse to let these players move into new spaces, and judged on its own terms as a record, Reason in Decline is remarkably solid.
Reason in Decline by Archers of Loaf is out on Friday via Merge Records.
[Photo: Kate Fix]