The Academy Is... Announce First Album in 18 Years

Official Announcement | Published: Jan 14, 2026 2:39 PM EST

(Big Hassle Media) The Academy Is... - the influential and beloved Chicago alt-rock band- have announced their long-awaited new album, Almost There, arriving via I Surrender Records on March 27, 2026. Pre-orders and pre-saves are available now. Vinyl, CDs, and merch are available for pre-order now in the band's webstore, with limited signed vinyl available in I Surrender's webstore.

The first new The Academy Is... studio album in over 18 years, Almost There, is heralded by today's release of the urgent and melodic lead single "2005," available now on all digital platforms. Bursting with shimmering guitars, driving rhythms, and one of William Beckett's most emotionally direct vocal performances to date, the track captures the band's ability to fuse youthful immediacy with hard-won perspective. An official music video premieres today on YouTube.

"Almost Here was the beginning. Almost There is the reflection," Beckett says. "It's about checking in with who you thought you'd be twenty years later, seeing what changed, what stuck, and what still feels like home."

The follow-up to 2008's Fast Times at Barrington High, Almost There finds The Academy Is... reflecting on distance, from youth, from expectations, and from the versions of themselves that once felt permanent. Across 11 new songs, the band revisits the emotional intensity that defined their early work while embracing a more expansive, mature approach to songwriting. The result is a record that feels both familiar and newly sharpened, rooted in pop-punk urgency but unafraid to slow down, open up, and linger in uncertainty.

Almost There was shaped in studios around a grounded emotional center. Guitarist Mike Carden, bassist Adam Siska, and drummer Andy Mrotek lean into dynamic arrangements that balance punchy immediacy with textured detail - songs often begin with stripped-back melodies before swelling into full-band catharsis, driven by soaring choruses and tightly coiled tension.

After some teasing and speculation, The Academy Is... announced their return last year with the Almost Here 20th Anniversary Tour. Fans were treated to high-energy sets built around the songs that defined the mid-2000s, performed with the intensity and emotion that made the debut record a cult classic. The show blends past and present, weaving in refreshed arrangements, new creative elements, and glimpses of what the band is creating next.

The response has been overwhelming, with many markets selling out instantly and demand continuing to climb. The band recently announced a second leg to meet the momentum, marking this as one of their most anticipated touring moments in years. The first date kicks off on April 10 at Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY, with dates throughout April and May. For more information on upcoming performances, see below.

Tracklisting:
1. Up In The Air
2. Miracle
3. 2005
4. Freak Out
5. Snow Days
6. 100mph
7. Floating Through Time (interlude)
8. L Train
9. Lost Signals
10. Lulu Boy
11. Ten Years
THE ACADEMY IS...
ALMOST HERE 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2026

APRIL
10 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
11 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
15 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre
16 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
18 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
19 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues Orlando
24 - Austin, TX - Emo's
25 - Dallas, TX - The Echo
26 - Houston, TX - House of Blues Houston

MAY
1 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
2 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at The Market
7 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
8 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
9 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park