“I had a Linkin Park sticker across my school planner”: How Architects Went From Metal Wannabes to Arena Titans

Frontman Sam Carter talks touring with Linkin Park, their new album The Sky, the Earth & All Between, and their steady rise to the top

When you’re in primary school, you’re often asked what you want to be when you grow up. The usual answers tend to revolve around professions like doctor, astronaut, lawyer, actor, model, or rock star. For many, these ambitions are little more than pipe dreams—something that feels distant, unattainable, above their station. While few actually go on to achieve these lofty goals, Architects’ frontman Sam Carter actually did.

“It’s weird,” Carter muses, glancing out his window. I’d just asked him if being a professional musician was everything, he expected it to be. Whether his childhood dreams married up with the reality of a working life.

“It’s kind of everything I wanted it to be” he says through a charmed smile. “We’re always surrounded by people who seem unfazed, but the reality is, it’s a pretty fucking cool job, and I’m really lucky and grateful. I struggled at school, and this was the only thing I could do and care about.”

Calling from his home in Brighton, England, Carter starts by giving me a fairly blunt assessment of the weather. “It’s absolutely fucking shit,” he says dryly. “I genuinely don’t know why I live here. It’s a nice place, but it’s fucking miserable.”

Though, Carter admits, the bleak weather may have helped shape the band’s temperament—one that certainly seems to have come in handy long term.

“Maybe we wouldn’t be this aggressive if we didn’t live here,” he postures, tapping his index finger thoughtfully to his lip. This aggression is on full display in the band’s new album, The Sky, The Earth & All Between, which dropped on 28 February 2024.

I first ask Carter about the album’s ambiguous title. “We wanted something open-ended for the title,” he explains. “It meant we didn’t have to worry about anything else. It’s a classic Architects move—big, but with not much behind it. It’s the first line of our song ‘Elegy’ that really grabs you by the scruff of your neck. I like how open it is. It’s everything and nothing.”

This is Architects’ eleventh studio album—a milestone by any means. In a world of short attention spans, quick singles and Tik Tok trends, being prolific in creating bodies of work feels rare. Thought Carter isn’t really the type to pat himself on the back about these things. “Don’t say it too loudly,” Carter jokes when I bring up the ripe, double-digit milestone.

“I have an extreme level of ADHD, so even just you saying that now is mad,” he continues. “I don’t know how I’ve stayed interested for that long. But…” He pauses for a moment. He turns his lip upside and considers his words.

“No one really gave a shit about us until the seventh or eighth record. Up until Lost Forever/ Lost Together, no one gave us the time of day. I can see why too—we weren’t very good or special. But then on Lost Forever, something clicked.”

After eventually finding their footing, the band realised they could truly push the boundaries of their art.

“We started taking songwriting more seriously. Before that, I was writing the Hollow Crown lyrics outside the studio, then just walking in. Lost Forever is, in my opinion, the best Architects record. It was a special time for our band. There was a good connection.”

In hindsight, Carter has come to appreciate the band’s slow rise. He feels it allowed them the time to truly develop. “We were kids up until that point. The time before gave us room to grow as a band.”

Success then started to pour in. “There have been so many points in this band where I’ve thought, ‘Is that it? Have we reached the peak?’ But it just keeps growing. When I first started, my only goal was to go on Warped Tour. Then we did it.”

Now, eleven albums in, Architects have achieved the kind of success most bands can only dream of. But with greater success comes greater pressure. “We can’t just put any old shit out now,” Carter admits. “Most people have already made up their minds about us. But what drives us now is to go in and change that. Have people say, ‘Oh shit, this is Architects.’”

“I really just want to keep the train on the tracks. I’m grateful for what we have. It’s just that sometimes, I need to think about what’s next to pull us there.”

After the album’s release, Architects will hit the road with Linkin Park for a stadium tour across several European dates. “It’s fucked,” Carter laughs when talking about the tour. “I had a Linkin Park sticker across my school planner.”

As for whether an Australian tour is in the cards, Carter’s answer is firm but optimistic. “It’s definitely a question of when, not if. It’s one of those places that makes us feel at home. We sometimes feel like an Australian band.”

At this point Carter, who doesn’t seem like he’s really the type to sit around and reminisce, gets slightly caught up in his thoughts. You can see him watching over the supercut over Architects career in his head. “We’re just four normal blokes. The thing I’ve always pushed is that if I can do it, anyone can. If you really want it, you can make it happen.”

Architects’ new album The Sky, the Earth & All Between was released on February 28. It can be streamed here.