Archers Road is a mix of shoegaze, dreampop, ambient and slowcore led by Songwriter/Musician Björn Erik Bachs Berntsson out of Málaga, Spain.
I caught up with Berntsson to talk about their early exposure to music, how they started writing songs and the making of their latest E.P. “Pluto In Blue”.
CMM-What was the first music that really made an impact on you as a kid and what artists or bands did you enjoy the most?
Bjorn-When I was small, I remember YouTube was starting, so I would watch really low-quality videos of things I was into, like Legos and such. I was perhaps 7 or 8 years old, and that’s where I discovered a lot of music. I remember there was this line by Lego called Bionicle, which had really cool music in its commercials. One of these songs was “Move Along” by The All-American Rejects, which really made a huge impact on me. I also started listening to Oasis, but especially to Green Day, because there were Bionicle videos featuring their songs. I also remember my mum had Green Day’s album 21st Century Breakdown on CD, and I would listen to it every day and learn the lyrics from the booklet, learning a lot of English that way. I still listen to that music now and then, but now I listen more to bands like The Stone Roses, Duster, Slowdive or Galaxie 500. From my nationalities, I really like The Radio Dept. from Sweden and Los Planetas from Granada, Spain.
CMM-When did you first start creating your own music?
Bjorn-I started composing something as early as 2020, but it wasn’t anything serious. I got seriously into making my own music around early 2024. I got really inspired by seeing how Mac DeMarco, Duster and other artists had recorded their own stuff at home or at really small studios. That made me think I could do it on my own, as it is difficult to find people to play with and who like the same genres I wanted to do here in Spain. Music is also one of my preferred ways to express myself, and at that time, I was going through a lot, so I needed something to make sense of everything, and that way was writing songs. I was also inspired by the ideas of Punk and Anarchism of “Do It Yourself” and finding an alternative way of doing things. I’ve always liked making things on my own, I like woodworking, I tried to do cosplay and many other things. Maybe it’s because I built so much with Lego as a kid, I don’t know
CMM-Your recent E.P. “Pluto In Blue” and follow-up single “Veil” are fantastic. What was the writing and recording process for those tracks like? Any particular gear or instruments you used during the recording sessions that helped inspire you?
Bjorn-Thank you, I’m really happy with how “Veil” came out. I’m learning how to record more properly now. “Pluto in Blue” is not really an EP; it’s more like how singles used to be, with the main song and the B-side or sides, especially since only the Bandcamp version includes extra songs. But I understand you calling it an E.P.
When it comes to writing the songs, I usually start by coming up with something on the guitar that sounds good. I usually then record some kind of drums on the laptop and figure out the structure I want the songs to have. The lyrics and voice usually come last and are often improvised, but I often have some idea of what I want them to be about. For “Pluto in Blue”, the first single of the album Home is Nowhere, sometimes making the drums and bass was a bit tricky because I did not even have a MIDI controller or a real bass. So I had to use the keys on my computer or pitch down my guitar to make it sound like a bass. Luckily, I had bought myself a new Gretsch guitar, one of the cheaper models, so the sound was really decent, which kept me recording.
So yeah, that Gretsch really helped me get inspired and make the album. I also love that guitar because my favourite guitarist, John Squire, used to play one. Luckily, now I have a real bass, so recording new things is easier. I think I recorded and composed “Veil” in just one day because of that. Another thing that inspired me for the album was when my girlfriend introduced me to the song “When the Sun Hits” by Slowdive. The sound and emotions of the song caught me really hard, and made me see music differently. Textures could also carry a lot of significance. I also found out that shoegaze and slowcore weren’t too complicated to play, so that helped with recording things on my own.
CMM-If you could score any film director’s movie who would it be and what would the film be about?
Bjorn-If David Lynch were alive, I would say one of his films, because I’m doing a PhD where I include his film The Elephant Man. But because he passed away, I would love to score something like Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I would love a coming-of-age movie with a lonely protagonist who slowly starts finding himself and his place in the world. It would be about a teenager or someone in their 20s. I also think a bit of romance wouldn’t hurt, perhaps a partner who helps the protagonist in their growth. I would like the film to be a bit experimental and talk about profound topics, like trauma or something like that, yet with a hopeful tone.
CMM-What do you have coming up next?
Bjorn-I’m currently working on my second album, which I think will be finished this year, as I have recorded four songs already and have other ones in process. So a new single might come out in a month or more. I’m really inspired at the moment, so coming up with new songs and ideas is not that challenging at the moment.
I’ve also talked with some friends about maybe starting an association for people who are in independent rock projects, similar to Hardcore Málaga, to support each other, as there is not much for us younger people here in Málaga.
When it comes to live shows, I haven’t got any plans at the moment because I’m alone in the project. Hopes it changes one day! I am, however, practising at home to backing tracks I’ve made in case the opportunity to perform live comes up. I’m not losing hope.
