Some bands blow up online out of nowhere and everybody pretends they’ve been there since day one.
With Archers, it’s different. People around Wisconsin have been talking about this band for years already. The rest of the country is just finally catching up now.
I’ve worked with these guys a bunch over the years. Grew up with Oscar. My fiancée went to school with Nate. So watching everything happening for them lately has honestly been cool as hell to see because none of it was handed to them. They’ve been grinding forever. Tiny rooms, local shows, hauling gear around in the cold Midwest weather like every other band trying to survive.
And the thing is, they’ve always treated people well even before bigger tours and bigger crowds started showing up. They still hang around after sets, still talk to fans forever, still support local bands, still act like normal dudes. That stuff matters more than people think.
Live shows are where Archers really clicks though. Nate sounds ridiculous live. The screams sound even more unhinged in person somehow, then he switches right into clean vocals without losing any energy. Oscar is everywhere at once on stage and Ben’s guitar work always has way more feeling behind it than just trying to sound technical for the sake of it. Then Grayson keeps the whole thing moving without overplaying anything.
The crowd reaction says enough honestly. Doesn’t matter if it’s a smaller hometown venue or a packed tour date somewhere out of state, people scream these songs right back at them. You can tell the connection is real.
Songs like “Bitter,” “Wide Awake,” and “Never Enough” are probably the best starting point if you’re new. “Blanket Fort” still hits too. And the newer stuff feels bigger without losing what made people care about them in the first place.
That’s probably why people stick with this band. Nothing about them feels fake polished or manufactured. It still feels like a group of Midwest dudes writing music because they actually need to get something out of their system.
Really feels like this is only the beginning for them too.
