ARCHITECTS
NEVER LOOK BACK
After the 2020 Australian bushfires halted their plans, Architects regrouped, relocated and set about preparing their challenging next chapter. It’s all led to the boldest album of their career, and a motto to live by…
WORDS: STEPHEN HILL • PICTURES: ED MASON
Like many artists that have spent the last year confined to their homes, Architects vocalist Sam Carter has an abundance of excess energy. “Yeah, I’m just about to go out for a run,” he laughs, fidgeting on his seat over a Zoom after we enquire why he is decked out in the full training kit of his beloved Manchester United. “I have to do something. It’s been a nightmare not being able to do the thing we’ve done for the last, what, 15 years now? The [November] livestream at the Royal Albert Hall brought home how much we need that connection with people; it was great to play that venue, but I need that person screaming our songs back into my face.”
Sam’s desire to get Architects moving again is almost palpable through the screen – understandable, as 2021 will mark the start of a brand-new chapter for the band. Having experienced the stunning highs and gutwrenching lows of the last five years – a period that saw them become a bona fide arena headline act and release critically adored albums in 2016’s All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us and 2018’s Holy Hell, while also suffering the tragic loss of guitarist and band leader, Tom Searle – Architects have regrouped.