The Academic

Hailing from the town of Mullingar, Ireland, the Academic are an indie rock band who rode a series of punchy, melodic singles to national success when their 2018 debut album topped the Irish charts. They soon netted a deal with Universal and followed up with their 2023 sophomore release, Sitting Pretty.

Formed when the bandmembers were still in their teens, the Academic found early exposure opening a show for the Pixies and soon began amassing a strong regional following. After signing a deal with Global Publishing in late 2014, they issued the singles "Different" and "Northern Boy," which were later included on their 2015 debut EP, Loose Friends.

The summer-vibed 2016 single "Mixtape 2003" expanded on the Academic's hooky guitar pop sound and was followed a year later by another single, "Bear Claws." 2018 proved to be a banner year for the group when their debut full-length, Tales from the Backseat, hit number one on the Irish Albums chart; they followed it up with the live acoustic studio EP, Abbey Road Sessions.