Archer vs. Gunman

Since forming in November 2009, Archer vs. Gunman have already been featured in Metromix Greenville, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Spartanburg Spark, Columbia's Examiner, Asheville's Mountain Xpress, Greenville Business Magazine and been interviewed on Clemson’s WSBF 88.1 and WPTP 93.3. Live, Archer vs. Gunman’s punk ethos and technical prowess blend perfectly to manifest as a controlled and purposeful freneticism. The three members effortlessly weave through complex arrangements and dynamics that shift from pin-drop-quiet to speaker-bending-loud in the drop of a hi-hat. The bands sound is more of sum-of-its-parts than any one member pushing to out play their songs. When Paul Board of Spartanburg Spark dropped in on a show for a surprise review, he wrote, "I found myself craning my neck around to take in each instrument, because each musician played a unique melody that blended together with ease to create reinvigorating rock music that was more than I thought it would be.” Rob Patterson of Ratiofarm blogged that Archer vs. Gunman’s songs are, “poetic jabs and sad laments, intimate conversations between friends and lovers, reminiscences of halcyon days drenched in whiskey and cigarette smoke.” And that singer Shaun Williams “delivers these bittersweet tales with the grittiness of Mike Ness (Social Distortion), the desperation of Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and the tenderness of Sam Beam (Iron and Wine) for what solidifies as world-weary yet optimistic songwriting.” For the group’s newly released EP, “Last Days of Winter,” Archer vs. Gunman opted to rely on their skills as players rather than studio trickery, and Sit-N-Spin Studios in Greenville SC was more than capable of providing them with the perfect working environment for their task. With the exception of overdubbing Williams’ raspy lead vocals and Sweet’s sparrow lilt countermelodies, the band chose to track live with no click. When Andrew Parker was asked about the recording method, he responded, "It felt more like a rehearsal than a recording. It brought an energy and an urgency that would not have been achieved had we all played in separate rooms to a pre-recorded scratch track."