Trying to find actual information about Archer & Bow proved pretty impossible. The band members operate under the names Mr Russia, Mr Wiki, Boy and Red, from Melbourne. Not much to go on, but sure, they’re entitled to anonymity, yes it makes it a little interesting. Trolling through their Facebook page showed updates with little ditties and short poems, which was quite entertaining, and some live photos of five guys with guitars, a drum kit, and a saxophone. Okay, got it. So with all that in mind, let’s pop in their self-titled debut album and formulate an opinion.
When the first song, “Archer & Bow” started it was almost like Lady Of The Sunshine (Angus Stone’s solo project) was playing instead. Bluesy and heartfelt, it’s definitely a bit of a melancholy start. Especially because the next track, “Didn’t Want To Let Go”, is practically danceable, the kind of song that builds into this great swing-inspired, hand clapping song. “Oh Brother” starts out sweet but progresses into a layered blues-rock track that conjures up images of late summer nights, BBQs and would be great to see live. The album continues on with a little interlude called “Will It End”, which is only over a minute long but a nice, layered surprise amongst all the high energy acoustic guitar and passionate vocals.
The album finishes off with “Archer & I”, a beautifully simple track, peppered with bird song and tambourine, giving off a general feeling of satisfaction. You can tell these guys are great at what they do, and will deliver a hell of a live show.
– Zahra Khamissa
