Photo credit: Cian Duignan
The Academic - Mixtape 2003
Info: Young Irish indie-rockers The Academic have announced the forthcoming release of their brand new single Mixtape 2003. The track, a scintillating burst of twenty-first century rock n’ roll, follows on from their hugely successful debut EP ‘Loose Friends’ out late last year and arrives in the midst of a busy summer of festival appearances.
The Irish four-piece, comprising of Craig Fitzgerald (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Matt Murtagh (lead guitar/backing vocals), Stephen Murtagh (bass) and Dean Gavin (drums), have enjoyed a whirlwind last twelve months with notable performances at Eurosonic, Electric Picnic and The Great Escape, as well as receiving support and Radio 1 airplay from Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart.
It's a horrid catchphrase, but, what a difference a year makes. There are a lot of bands that you'd come across and think, 'yeah, these guys could be big down the road', with The Academic it happened almost overnight following the release of last years single 'Northern Boy'. I must admit I was taken aback by the sheer pace of it, after the pleasure of catching them live on the mainstage in Whelan's at the end of 2015, a raucous performance, the next thing I knew the guys were playing in front of a packed Olympia and stadiums across Europe as well as an appearance on RTÉ's flagship music show Other Voices.
Photo: Remy Connolly
What of 'Mixtape 2003'? Whilst The Academic's music in general is of a sunny disposition, reflected in their live sets, the latest single ups the ante in terms of its carefree tone and theme. The lost track on The Strokes' 'Is This It' (or it could have replaced 'New York City Cops' which was deleted from the US release after 9/11), 'Mixtape 2003' is an entire block of full on indie-rock abandon with The Academic fully embracing their pop leanings which have brought them so much success to date. It's a nice theme as well, a nod to how music we listened to in the past acts like a time-stamp or marker, bringing back memories of the people in our lives back then and what we were at, nostalgia through tunes, nice one. Needless to say I would swallow whole an album by these guys right now who are more listenable to and entertaining than other Irish bands who have 'made it'.
The Academic’s Mixtape 2003, produced by Philip Magee, is released on 12th August and will be available to purchase on iTunes and Spotify.
Live Dates:
02 July – Barn On The Farm Festival, Gloucester
03 July – Groove Festival, Bray, Ireland
08 July – Iveagh Gardens, Dublin, Ireland
16 July – Festival Big Top, Galway, Ireland
19 August – Pukkelpop, Belgium
20 August – Lowlands Festival, Netherlands
05 October – The Garage, Glasgow
06 October – Rainbow, Birmingham
10 October – Waiting Room, London
Like / Listen & Follow:
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/theacademic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAcademic
