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The Academic Share First Release Since Signing to Capitol Records

May 6, 2020

The Academic are pleased to share details of their brand new single ‘Anything Could Happen’, available now. The single is the first new release from the band since singing a global record deal with Capitol Records.

Almost every other year (give or take), an article runs in a noteworthy publication by a noteworthy critic discussing and analysing ‘the cycle’. The cycle points to era-defining guitar bands breaking through at a similar time, before a barrage of copycat bands grasping for, and just missing, their coattails sends this new scene spiralling back underground, waiting for the next Great New Hope to bring it back into the mainstream some years later. And so said cycle begins all over again. Exhausting. Usually it’s just a shallow shoal of red herrings; rarely do one or two outliers warrant talk of guitar music returning to the airwaves and on hefty rotation.

So what does that mean for Mullinger’s first noteworthy musical export since one quarter of One Direction; The Academic? Well, surely those pencilling the next ‘cycle’ missive will be interested to hear that godfather of it all Mick Jagger hand-picked them to support The Stones here in Ireland, but really their story is one of hard-graft, persistence and some exquisitely sharp indie-pop tunes. It’s a sound that already has them down as hard-won hometown heroes and with a number 1 album to their name and sold out shows all over the country, the band’s music is already finding very willing ears much further afield. Having already caught a tail wind in the UK, Europe and the US the band are heavily pencilled for more international tour dates when this lockdown lifts.

Fronted by Craig Fitzgerald, a man who gives good quote without over-selling the product, the young four-piece sit at the middle of a venn diagram that draws from the likes of Phoenix, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and Vampire Weekend. Instant guitar tunes that nestle in the cranium and need a bulldozer to remove.  Their first major label single ‘Anything Could Happen’ slinks and weaves itself to the head and heart – A pulsating, sharp tune that sets its stall from the opening notes and expands its chest until the final cymbal crashes. It’s a fine, confident opening gambit, with much more already committed to tape. White lads with guitars? No question. A potentially huge band with tunes to believe in? Absolutely.

‘Anything Could Happen’, produced by Nick Hodgson, is released simultaneously with the accompanying video premiere on YouTube. Directed by Ronan Corrigan and Hope Kemp, the video is a real reflection of the current times we’re living in under lockdown, giving a brief insight in the lives of quarantined couples around the world.

Quote from the Band:

“It’s been a strange one with this video. We were due to shoot it a few weeks back but with all the movement restrictions in place, everything changed. We had to can our initial idea for the video and come up with something a bit more DIY. For us now, the song has taken on an entirely new meaning  so we wanted to create something that brings people a sense of hope in these difficult times.  We crowd sourced video footage from people all over the world in lockdown who are doing whatever it takes to keep positive. We thought the idea would be fitting in the current climate.”

“‘Anything Could Happen’ is a rallying cry to the people in our lives who find themselves stuck in cycles of mundanity and monotony. We hope it inspires people to be kind to themselves and take control of their futures.”

https://www.theacademic.net/
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