The song has a 1980s-influenced minimalist, midtempo production and is a synth-pop ballad incorporating dense, echoing synthesizers and insistent kick drums.

"The Archer" peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 25 on charts in Australia, Hungary, Lithuania, Scotland, and Singapore.

[8] She first performed "The Archer" as an acoustic rendition during a YouTube Q&A session called "Lover's Lounge" live streamed on August 22, 2019.

[16] Antonoff and Laura Sisk, assisted by John Rooney, recorded the track at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

[a] Craig Jenkins of Vulture said that "The Archer" evoked a 1980s synth-pop torch song,[31] and Time's Raisa Bruner described the synth sound as "skittering".

[b] American Songwriter's Alex Hopper wrote that the song was akin to "a meandering late-night thought": "[Swift] poses many introspective questions and walks away with ambiguity.

[47] NME's Sofiana Ramli wrote that whereas those two singles "boast saccharine melodies and catchy hooks", "The Archer" with its "minimalistic" production was a new direction.

[46] "The Archer" was regarded as an album highlight by Spin's Jordan Sargent,[27] MTV's Terron Moore,[48] and No Ripcord's Ethan Beck.

Jon Caramanica of The New York Times thought that its production suggested new ways for Swift's artistry to evolve, citing her vocals: "she's restrained and a little imperious, using her voice as a mood piece.

[19] Beck opined that Swift and Antonoff reached a "new high" for their collaboration with "The Archer", praising the insistent synths and kick drums that "[keep] building to a climax that never comes [...] beautifully catching an emotional moment in midair with no catharsis".

[30] Larry Fitzmaurice of Entertainment Weekly agreed that the track displayed Antonoff as a strong collaborator for Swift and regarded the sound as a "weightless beauty".

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone placed "The Archer" 23rd on his 2023 ranking of 243 songs in Swift's discography, calling it "the ultimate Goth Tay powerhouse".

In Pitchfork, Anna Gaca wrote that "The Archer" successfully explored Swift's emotional depths but the 1980s-inspired sound co-produced by Antonoff was uninteresting.

[58] The Independent's Alexandra Pollard and the Toronto Star's Ben Rayner opined that the constant build-up without reaching a climax turned out disappointing.

[60] Elsewhere, the song debuted on the charts in several territories and peaked within the top 50 of Scotland (17),[61] Singapore (18),[62] Hungary (22),[63] Lithuania (23),[64] Belgium (28),[65] New Zealand (28),[66] Ireland (31),[67] Estonia (32),[68] Canada (41),[69] and further reaching Slovakia (63)[70] and the Czech Republic (69).

[71] "The Archer" reached number 43 in the United Kingdom[72] and received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

[73] The song peaked at number 19 in Australia[74] and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).