The Academic

Originating from Mullingar, Ireland, the indie rock outfit the Academic attained nationwide prominence through a succession of brisk, melody-driven singles, as their first album claimed the summit of the Irish charts in 2018. A subsequent agreement with Universal cleared the path for their second full-length effort, Sitting Pretty, issued in 2023.

The members assembled the band while still teenagers, securing initial notice as openers for the Pixies and steadily cultivating a loyal regional audience. A late-2014 publishing contract with Global Publishing led to the 2015 debut EP Loose Friends, which housed the tracks "Different" and "Northern Boy." The summery 2016 single "Mixtape 2003" further developed their catchy guitar-pop approach and preceded the 2017 release "Bear Claws."

A breakthrough arrived in 2018 when Tales from the Backseat, their first studio album, reached number one on the Irish Albums chart; Abbey Road Sessions, an acoustic live EP recorded at the famed studio, appeared soon after. Early 2019 brought a Universal Records deal and a noticeable evolution toward a denser dream-pop texture on the singles "Superlike" and "Aftertaste." The band maintained momentum with the 2020 EP Acting My Age and the 2021 EP Community Spirit, then toured Ireland and the U.K. in early 2022. New sessions, produced by Kaiser Chiefs drummer Nick Hodgson, produced the 2023 sophomore album Sitting Pretty, which continued to broaden their indie-pop palette.