A story as old as time is given a new, explosive lease of life through The Academic’s writing and release of their latest sky-scraping tune. Singing of not quite glowing bright enough, the band’s infectious take on themes of falling short is a bold one, melding infectious guitar craft with their signature indie-pop sound.
A gut-punch start sings of failure and procrastination, drawing in sharp recognition from similarly suffering fans. Breaking into the chorus, you hear clearly the near heart-break felt by the talented writers. Cinematic yet recognisable, the track shines golden as an example of hometown heroes proving just why their music has easily traversed the ocean.
Speaking of the track, vocalist Craig Fitzgerald explains, “’Kids (Don’t End Up Like Me)’ is one of the first songs I remember writing back when I was a teenager. It was the first time that lyrics had come very easy to me. It’s written about the fear of not getting out of your hometown and amounting to anything. Thanks to the lockdown, I had plenty of time on my hands, but nothing to write about, so I started looking through all my old notebooks and found this song fully written. I had a gut feeling that it might come to life now with a few more years of living behind me since it was originally written.”
A cinematic accompaniment to the track adds further depth to the piece, with haunting visuals of small-town boredom and stagnation. With the boys stuck in vending machines and laundromats, we see humorous metaphors playing out their lyrical message in a literal way; they transform the potentially tragic material into something uplifting.
The Academic have announced details of a long-awaited new EP to continue on from this single; The Community Spirit EP will be released on the 9th July through Capitol Records.
The track is a thumping return for a band absolutely straining at the leash to take their sky-scraping indie pop anthems out on the road and into the ears of their ever-expanding fanbase: we can’t wait to hear the rest of the EP.
TWELVE INCH 