Archers of Loaf were darlings of the indie world in the early to mid-'90s, thanks to an off-kilter sound that was edgy and challenging, yet melodically accessible at the same time. Their music was frequently likened to a more intense, raucous version of Pavement's postmodern pop (with some of Sonic Youth's noisy report and the Replacements' shambolic attack), and they shared their fractured song constructions, abstractly witty lyrics, clangorous guitars, and lo-fi production on early efforts like 1994's Icky Mettle and 1995's Vee Vee. The production got smoother on 1996's All the Nation's Airports, and they experimented with their formula on 1998's White Trash Heroes, released the year they split up. Archers of Loaf reunited in 2011 for live work, and in 2022, they brought out the more nuanced and melodic Reason in Decline.