Merge (2022)
I wasn't surprised when Archers of Loaf got back together in 2011 to do a victory lap reunion tour. I went to the NYC show and it was excellent. I wasn't even surprised when they started releasing new music. What surprised me is that when I listened to their newest full length, Reason In Decline, I actually thought it was pretty solid.
This isn't just me bagging on reunion records. It's mostly because I just intensely dislike the last Archers of Loaf record White Trash Heroes. That record floored me in the worst possible way upon its release in 1998. It was the sort of record that made me not super sad that Archers split up. Because of that, expectations were pretty low for their first new album in twenty four years.
But again, it's pretty good. It doesn't have the energy or punch of their first two records, but in general things move along at a nice pace. There's enough anger and angst that it doesn't sound like a completely different band. As cliche as it sounds, Reason In Decline sounds like an Archers of Loaf record made by a bunch of older dudes. Being an older dude myself, I can absolutely get behind that. Is this a can't miss, smash hit? No, it's not. But it's a lot better than you probably thought it was going to be.
Archers of Loaf - Reason In Decline:
https://archersofloaf.bandcamp.com/album/reason-in-decline
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