Architects frontman Sam Carter has commented on toxic fan responses to the band's experimental new album, The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit, namely people who bring up band co-founder Tom Searle as an excuse to criticise the Brighton quintet's current direction.
Searle passed away in 2016 aged just 28 after a battle with cancer, and Architects' decision to continue the band (which also features Searle's twin brother, Dan) was greeted with universal support from fans. Sadly, some have now invoked Searle's name as an attempt to undermine Architects' new music, something that has had a profoundly upsetting effect on Carter.
“You put a song out and people will say, ‘Tom’s rolling in his grave. Tom would be fucking sick if he heard this. Tom would fucking hate what you’re doing. You’re pissing on Tom’s legacy,’” the singer tells NME. “Because you don’t like a song you think it’s OK to bring up the most traumatising moment of my entire life; a thing that I’m still in therapy for, a thing that I think about every single day. I’ve cried a lot over it and hurt a lot over it, because I just can’t believe how low people can be.”
“Everybody wanted to be proud of us for carrying on,” he adds. “People forget very quickly. They forgot that we are just humans.”
Sam also notes that he has even received some hateful comments for wearing eyeliner in the band's video for recent single Tear Gas, saying: “I thought, ‘Oh fuck it, It can’t be that bad’ Then [people] were horrible. We’re supposed to be this alternative scene. We should be supporting everybody within it to be creative and free.”
The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit followed hot on the heels of the similarly experiment For Those That Wish To Exist, which was released in February last year.
The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit is out now via Epitaph. Architects tour the UK with Biffy Clyro next month.
