In the video below, Unleash The Archers vocalist Brittney Slayes explains the story behind their Northwest Passage.

Unleash The Archers return with their Explorers EP, to be released on October 11 via Napalm Records. The first single “Northwest Passage”, originally written and performed by Stan Rogers, is now available.

At first glance, the video for "Northwest Passage" seems to show the difficulties of life in a band: the rigours of touring, missing your family, the endless hours in the studio, sometimes it might even feel as if you’re slowly losing your mind, but in the end, the part of you that wants to keep making music, keep touring, keep making your fans happy, is always the part that prevails.

Unleash The Archers on the video for “Northwest Passage”: “This song is about touring across Canada, and equating it with being on those early expeditions that sought the Northwest Passage hundreds of years ago. Stan Rogers, who wrote and recorded the original, imagined that in another life he himself may have been an explorer, braving the unknown to satisfy a deep-seated need for danger and excitement. We took his words and put a bit of a sci-fi spin on them... What if in another life UTA had never existed? What if the band had different members? What would change if we were just friends and never bandmates? What if those timelines converged?... What follows is a video of infinite possibilities, infinite universes smashing into one another and battling for prominence. Which timeline is true? Which UTA will win? Is it the UTA you know and love, or perhaps something a bit more sinister? You’ll have to watch and find out! ”

The artwork for Explorers was created by Dusty Peterson and Unleash The Archers are very happy with it: “We feel it captures the essence of seeking the ‘Northwest Passage’ perfectly. If you have ever read 'The Terror' by Dan Simmons or watched the show you'll know exactly what we were going for. This EP has darkness written all over it, but the songs themselves have a slightly uplifting undertone as well. One can only imagine how exciting it must have been to explore this unknown continent back in the day, but also, how terrifying.”

Explorers will be available in the following formats:

- 7" Vinyl Single Black – strictly limited to 300 issues
- 7" Vinyl Single Silver – strictly limited to 100 issues
- 7" Vinyl Single White – strictly limited to 100 issues
- Digital EP

Pre-order here.

Teaser:

(Photo - Shimon Karmel)