Irish indie rock band The Academic are back with their latest single, “My Very Best,” from their upcoming album Sitting Pretty, set to release in February 10, 2023 via Capitol Records.
The track is accompanied by a music video that was shot with creative partners Ronan & Hope at the largest match-making festival in the world–Lisdoornvarna.
“My Very Best” explores the feelings of self-doubt and those times in a relationship when no matter what you do, it’s just never enough. “We wanted to write something that could encapsulate the heavy heartedness and cruelty of feeling like you can’t emotionally provide a relationship with what it needs to survive,” says lead singer, Craig Fitzgerald.
Last month, The Academic shared another pre-album single, “Homesick.” The song shows a bit of a contrast from the kind of songwriting fans of the band have come to love. The track allows for a dreamy bassline accompanied by mature lyrics and a hypnotic melody while remaining true to the band’s signature sound.
“‘Homesick’ was written at a time when we were touring relentlessly across America,” explains the band’s frontman Chris Fitzgerald. “It’s about accepting the difficulties in relationships, acknowledging how time and distance can put a strain on even our strongest connections.” The single arrives alongside a video shot in Dublin, in collaboration with Collective Film.
In November, the band announced The Sitting Pretty Tour of North America. The 14-date trek kicks off in Toronto, Canada on April 9, 2023, and then crisscrosses the continent, before winding up at famed Los Angeles venue The Troubadour on April 29.
News of The Academic’s US tour arrived after the announcement of European dates, which begin in Glasgow, Scotland on release day, before touching down in major metropoles such as Paris, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam.
Momentum for Sitting Pretty–album and tour–has been building since the boys from Mullingar launched their new era with the captivating “Don’t Take It Personally” at the beginning of September. The Academic steps into album number two with the support of an ever-growing fanbase that has followed their every move since Tales From The Backseat, their first offering, debuted at No.1 in Ireland in 2018, which received critical acclaim on both sides of The Atlantic.
