The Academic sign with Capitol Records

After being courted by record labels on both sides of the Atlantic, Westmeath quartet The Academic look set for global stardom after signing a worldwide record deal with the iconic record label Capitol Records – also Niall Horan’s label.

Capitol Records are home to acts such as Paul McCartney, Don Henley, The Beach Boys as well as a current crop of stars including Sam Smith, Katy Perry, Halsey, and Christine & The Queens.

Indie pop princes in waiting, their-uplifting, melodic guitar-driven sound is the product of a tight-knit gang who have been playing together since school in Rochfortbridge, when they first bonded over the sounds of The Strokes and Vampire Weekend.

The band have just released their new single, ‘Anything Could Happen’, their debut release on a major record label: listen to it HERE.

‘Anything Could Happen’ is a brisk, new wave-styled single, which draws from the stop-start rhythms of Talking Heads and Elvis Costello.

The track was produced ex-Kaiser Chief, Nick Hodgson.

“‘Anything Could Happen’ is a rallying cry to the people in our lives who find themselves stuck in cycles of mundanity and monotony,” says lead singer Craig Fitzgerald.

“We hope it inspires people to be kind to themselves and take control of their futures.”

With lyrics about those who are “saving all your feelings for Saturday night” and going on benders of the emotional kind, it’s a song about personal growth, friendship and accepting that nobody is perfect. In many ways, it’s the perfect balm for these strange times.

Watch the video, directed by Hope Kemp and Ronan Corrigan, featuring couples from around the world shot enduring lockdown.

Lead singer Craig Fitzgerald says: “The song has really taken on a 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.”

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