Many bands might not be so keen to rip it up and start again, especially when they’re on to a good thing. Finding yourself with a Number One album and selling out arenas is enough for some to repeat a winning formula. Architects however, are that shark that dies if it stops swimming. “It was definitely validating and felt really cool for like a day,” recalls drummer, producer and songwriter Dan Searle of hitting the top spot with ‘For Those That Wish To Exist’. “For a lot of the bucket list things you reach in any career, there’s a momentary gratification then you’re like, ‘What next?’ You just move on. By the time the album came out, my head was already in the mindset of ‘Broken Spirit’. That was where I was at.”
Aside from his work with Magnolia Park, the vocalist and songwriter has been featured on tracks by everyone from 408 to labelmates poptropicaslutz! and plxntkid. Like many of the greats, Joshua Roberts grew up singing in church but seeing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” for the first time was an awakening for him to find his own voice and pursue his calling. Inspired by a diverse mixture of genres and generations, his biggest influences are Justin Bieber, Labrinth, Billie Eilish and Usher; artists who inform his new age R&B/pop style with an alternative twist. He sees this solo venture as a personal journey to push himself not only creatively, but to grow as an individual as well. “It’s a whole side of me that I never talk about or share, so it’s a scary venture for sure but it’s something I feel I needed to take.”