WESTMEATH indie rock quartet The Academic are the toast of The Irish Post Music Awards after taking home the award for Best Irish Indie Act.
It caps a remarkable year for the group, who hit #1 on the Irish album charts last January with their debut release Tales from the Backseat.
Founded in 2013, The Academic consists of brothers Matthew and Stephen Murtagh alongside fellow members Craig Fitzgerald and Dean Gavin.
They quickly began to court attention, with their 2015 EP Loose Friends singling the group out as ones to watch.
One of the most exciting new bands to emerge from the Emerald Isle in recent years, the group first piqued the wider public consciousness with the release of their 2017 single Bear Claws last July.
Well received by fans and critics alike, the song saw the group earn comparisons with The Stokes and fellow indie favourites The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The tracks' distinctive 'live looper' music video, meanwhile, garnered similar praise online.
They soon followed up that song with another single, Permanent Vacation, before the arrival of their debut LP.
With big things expected from the group in the coming years, this award win is well-deserved for all the hard work and dedication the boys have shown in honing their craft as musicians.
Watch this space!
