Prior to their amazing London show, we caught up with Ben Koehler and Nathanael Pulley from metalcore band Archers to talk their latest releases, their new UK/EU tour and how their sound has morphed over almost a decade of making music together.
Nathanael: It started back in 2015 with just Ben and I. Morph is the correct word because it has consistently been changes upon changes, like life in general. We started off a lot a little heavier than we are now, but once I came into my own with my own voice and we started to find our voice within the music, things did switch and shift. I think the biggest changes that we’ve been experiencing have been the size of the shows back home, but also the culture shock of going from playing really rinky-dink little places to no people to playing also rinky-dink places to packed out people. It’s been a lot of fun and really encouraging to see all the engagement and all the love we’ve been getting. People come to the show and some people are jamming, some people are crying, but everyone’s connecting, and I think that’s the important thing.
A big change that happened in the last year was the departure of their bassist and co-vocalist, Oscar Porter, who is now pursuing a successful solo project as Arankai.
Ben: It’s been great. There is a lot that our new bass player Drew brings to the table as far as playing ability goes, vibes too. Obviously, we miss Oscar. We’re happy to see him crushing it and doing his own thing. Everyone’s stoked for each other. We saw him a couple times on our last tour, he came out and did guest vocals, which was really fun.
Nathanael: Yeah, it was a pretty seamless transition. We were all nervous, cause Oscar had been a part of this for so long, such a core member. But it was one of those things where we all knew that it was his time to do his thing and to really focus on himself. And so, like Ben said, there was nothing but love when it came to that whole decision, because we knew that if he didn’t take the time and he didn’t take the chance, he’d regret it forever. So we’re like, “Hey man, now’s your moment, take it now while you have it and we’ll be okay, we’ll figure it out.” Of course we were anxious and we were nervous, and that first tour was a little scary, but by the second day we were all like, “Oh okay, we can do this. This is going to be alright.” And then to see him show up in support throughout has been wonderful. We do the same for him whenever we have the option.
While their shows have only grown in scale and reach, their creative process has remained an in-house collaboration.
Ben: It definitely starts a little bit chaotic and then just dials in naturally. We work with our friend Jon Eberhard, who plays bass in I Prevail, and he helps a ton. We’ll get together and throw ideas out, “Hey, what if we did this song where it starts heavy but then it drops down, gets quiet and then it builds back up?” We’ll start jamming and me and him will pass a guitar back and forth. Pulley [Nathanael] will come in and he’ll grab the guitar and he’ll start messing around with stuff. All the while, Jon’s sitting there on a computer, coming up with some basic drum ideas. And then all of a sudden it’s like, “Oh, we have a riff. We have a riff, that’s really cool. Now we can start having a conversation about how we actually want this to go“.
This experimentation is evident on their 2025 EP Temporary High, a very different beast to their predominantly heavy discography up to that point.
Nathanael: The EP was a whole different experience, because we actually worked with people that we had never worked with before. Just the process of putting that record together was kind of tumultuous. You’ve got a lot of personalities and a lot of talent in one room and you’re all trying to do one thing. And I think with that record, we were trying to test the waters a little bit with something different, stepping outside of our comfort zone a little bit. And I think just having those vibes in the studio really kind of lent themselves to the sorrowful content that was in the lyrics. Especially with songs like ‘Better Off’ or ‘Crooked Smile’ or ‘Safe Now’. That song is very sorrowful, very wistful. But they all feature themes that I touch on throughout my career and my writing in general.
Nathanael: it’s definitely stripped down a little bit more. We generally have a pretty large production, with lots of weird sounds. We all like the weird sounds, we’ve always liked to find those cool little stims that make your brain go brrr. But with that one, we brought everything back to the basics, to see what a no-frills record by us would sound like. And I think we did a pretty solid job of that.
In the last couple of months, two new singles have graced the airwaves: ‘The Dirt’ and ‘Say So’, which had only just come out when we had this conversation.
Nathanael: They’re very different in tone. ‘The Dirt’ is about dealing with burnout and the uncertainty of being a part of it all. You know, you’re a young kid with these big dreams and you do everything you can to make them a reality, and you forget to ask yourself the question, “Is this what I really want?” So I think that’s what ‘The Dirt’ was all about: after 10 years of just grinding and grinding, you get that tiny taste of success, then you ask yourself, “Oh shit, maybe I should have thought about whether or not this is really what I want for my life.” And I feel like any type of ambition has that sort of drawback, that questioning down the line where you’re like, “Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing?” And I think the answer is absolutely yes, but the question still poses in my mind fairly frequently.
Nathanael: And then you’ve got the song ‘Say So’, which is very much about not wanting to be toyed with, about the lack of closure. Essentially, the song says exactly what it’s about in no uncertain terms: “if you’re leaving, just say so“. Don’t play with me, don’t toy with me. I don’t need that. If this is going to be how things are going to be, let’s just make that how it is.
The singles’ release hints at an upcoming album.
Nathanael: I can say that much. We are actually working on a record right now. I don’t know when it’s going to be debuting, but it will be our first full-length record. We’re doing that under Fearless Records and we couldn’t be more pumped.
One of the elements that has always stood out to me about Archers is that they do not shy away from the ugly fragile parts of the heart, nor do they dismiss it ironically or wrap it up in machismo. The heartbreak is raw, the honesty staggering.
Nathanael: I’m very proud to say that we all have a very positive form of masculinity. We’re not a bunch of toxic people. If I have something to bring up, there’s really no worry for me. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I need to feel emasculated by just being vulnerable.
Vulnerability has no gender. It doesn’t care if you have man parts or girl parts or they/them parts. It doesn’t care. Vulnerability is just something that we need to be able to experience in order to open up and connect with others. And it doesn’t matter who that person is or what they’ve got in their pants, that connection is what’s most important.
Nathanael: I think it’s important too to create that space. Something that’s always been very important to us is inclusion and making sure that everybody has the ability to find something in us or find themselves in us. And I think that music in general is such a freeing experience. Going to a live show you can see the toughest, butchest dude in the world break down into tears listening. I think there is something about developing a community or an environment where it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re dealing with or what your pre-existing ideas are about masculinity or femininity, you can show up and just experience.
I had to ask about the backstory to my favourite song, ‘Made for Love’. Funnily enough it started with the question “What if an EDM song was a metal song?“
Ben: We had started to become friends with the guys in Catch Your Breath and their biggest hit is ‘Dial Tone’. So we were like “okay, how do we write something this creative, this engaging, without just flat out making a cover of that song?” We were thinking how do we use elements from the structure of this song into the writing of our own. Nathanael and myself, we are also really big fans of the band Color Morale, and there’s a specific type of chord that they play a lot on guitar, and we were like, okay, how do we incorporate these types of chords into the chorus? And then we were kind of joking about the idea as it was coming together of like, “Hey, what if we did a first chorus of an EDM song where it builds, it builds, it builds, and then it drops?”
Their shows are electric (you can read our review HERE), but there is a dense invisible layer of connection between audience and band that is rare to see. From the men crying as they sing along to the songs to the tightly packed front rows, this is a powerful communal experience.
Nathaniel: From what I have seen with the people that we’ve met the last time we were here and the few shows that we’ve played so far, I can see that most of the people who are coming out are people who have been listening to us for years and years and years and just never thought they’d get the chance to see us. I get that. When you’re a smaller band and someone from overseas develops that parasocial relationship and dives into it, a lot of times they can feel like, “Oh, I love this band, but I’ll never be able to see them.” So just being able to break that for people has been the biggest through-line. People coming up and being like, “I never thought I’d get to see you guys, I’m so stoked that you’re here, so grateful.” So I haven’t met a lot of new fans so far. Most of them have been people that have been aware of us for a while and are just really excited that we’re finally out doing the thing here.
Ben: Also Download. All the people I’ve met in the UK that are newer fans heard about us for the first time at Download. So it helped a lot. I’m sure when we get over into the EU, the festivals we play there will definitely help make people aware of who we are, get them out to the show. Hopefully we’re able to create a really cool moment for them and they’re happy to tell their friends, so next time we come back, it’ll be even bigger than this time.
Huge thanks to Ben and Nathanael for their time and stories! Archers’ latest single ‘Say So’ is now streaming on all platforms.