What's better than an indie rock band with a new album? You don't know? Well, it's an IRISH indie rock band with a new album. A few weeks ago, The Academic, a four-piece indie band from Mullingar, Ireland dropped their debut studio album, "Tales from the Backseat"and let me tell you; it's a good one.

How did I discover The Academic? Well, before we both headed off to college, my best friend Tayla and I used to have countless conversations about music together. We would discuss all of the cool bands we discovered and almost always go see them together when they came to town.

I remember when she made a trip across the country to Ireland she texted me while boarding the plane home that she was super upset because a band she loved was putting on a free concert in a park. Not just any park, one that she was literally just was a few hours before (ok see that's why Irish bands are cool...free random park concerts psshhh that doesn't happen in America). She then proceeded to tell me everything she knew about the band and in a way forced me to listen to them and to this day I am still very glad that she did!

Soon after, I was super into their 2015 EP, "Loose Friends."To say I was obsessed with their tune, "Northern Boy" would be an understatement. To this day that track is still on almost all of the playlists on my phone. Unfortunately, I have only seen The Academic perform live once, while they accompanied Judah and The Lion on their "Going To Mars tour," and they put on one heck of a show. I can only imagine how much fun it would be to experience a show in which they are headlining and performing tracks off of their new album. Well, good thing they are on tour! Unfortunately, there isn't a tour stop in Minnesota, but hopefully, Tayla and I will be able to experience The Academic live together someday! For now, we are just enjoying the new tunes!

If you have already gotten to this point in the article and haven't listened to the album yet, what are you even doing? Stop reading right now and go press play on either Spotify or Apple Music.

"Tours from the Backseat" is one heck of a debut studio album. Each track fits perfectly with the one that follows. The record truly tells a story from the first song to last both lyrically and musically. If I had to choose, my favorite track is "Feel It Too." I just love the overall beat of the song, and the lyrics are so well thought out. A lyric that continues to stick out to me is, "I'm your fool, I'm not so cool, you know I feel it too. You're not alone." It is so relatable, and there is just something about it that makes it stand out.

Another stand out track is, "Bear Claws." The band released this track as a single before the album was released and it sure got the world's attention. With it's catchy and upbeat tune that was to be expected. The band also showed creativity by creating a video of the song using Facebook Live. Facebook Live has a short delay when you decide to go "live," and the band took advantage of it and used the delay to record loops for a performance of the song. It is honestly one of the coolest things you just might see all day. Check it out here.

Overall, The Academic has a stand out debut studio album! Trust me when I say you don't want to sleep on this band. Don't wait any longer and get listening to "Tales of the Backseat" by the indie rock band, The Academic.