The Academic (Mullingar, IRELAND)

Genre:Pop

<p>Creating some of the most infectious blend of indie-rock you are likely to be introduced to this year, say hello to young Irish four piece and one of the most exciting bands coming out of Ireland right now, The Academic With over 750,000 plays on Spotify, their debut single, Different is already the No.1 independent song at Irish radio this year and has received support from Beats1 and also in the UK from BBC Radio 1 and Radio X.

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<br>The band consist of Craig Fitzgerald (lead vocals/guitar,) Dean Gavin (Drums) and brothers Stephen (Bass) and Matt Murtagh (Lead guitar). Coming from the outskirts of a small Irish town called Mullingar,the band have been friends since school and played under different guises and monikers throughout their teens. The Academic officially came into being at the end of 2013. From just finishing school12 months ago to ,playing battle of the bands competition’s in their home town to within 12 months, playing festivals such as Electric Picnic, Longitude, Benicassim in Spain, Indiependence, Hyde Park - London, Reeperbahn Festival , opening for bands such as The Strokes, Kodaline, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Twenty One Pilots and Circa Waves, and selling out shows all over Ireland, it has been a nothing short of a whirlwind for the young Irish 4 quartet. It is all the more impressive considering the band are only release their debut EP at the end of October '15.</p><p>Craig Fitzgerald (lead singer) says “It might seem that we have just come out of the woodwork as a band but we have been playing together since we were 13 or 14 years old. We have played in every corner of the country to anybody who would listen to us or anybody who was forced to listen to us over the last few years. What’s changed ? You go through the bad to get to the good and as a band we had to play over 200 terrible gigs before we started to find our sound”.</p><p>The Academic are a band to see sharpish before your friends start moaning your only jumping on the bandwagon</p><p>“‘Different’, “tightly-played three-minute indie-rock pop track, effortlessly sauntering around your ears in a melodic and pleasing fashion” Nialler 9

<br>“It's an earworm of undeniably catchy indie-rock that brings together elements of the 1975, hints of fellow Irishmen Kodaline, and the attitude of Catfish and the Bottlemen to make one of the strongest breakout singles I've heard in quite some time” The 405

<br>“This up-beat and quality record will shine during a run of festival plays this summer” The Music Ninja

<br>“Saccharine melody and a fervently wistful chorus work in conjunction with the song’s soaring instrumentals to create a mesmerizing, affecting song” I Heart Moosiq

<br>“it’s time to jump on the bandwagon , these guys are going to be big” – Lauren Murphy, The Irish Times</p>