With their new album Almost There, The Academy Is… doesn’t try to rewind the clock rather acknowledge and embrace it.

Released this past weekend via I Surrender Records, the band’s first full-length in over 18 years carries the weight of that absence without letting it drag the music down. If anything, it sharpens it.

The record opens with a sense of motion that never really settles. There’s a throughline across the album that feels restless in a quiet way. Not chaotic, not urgent, just constantly moving forward. It’s the sound of reflection without getting stuck in it.

Tracks like “L Train” capture that feeling best. There’s a late-night energy to it, the kind that feels familiar even if you can’t place exactly why. It builds without exploding, leaning into atmosphere instead of chasing a moment.

Earlier singles like “2005” could have easily fallen into nostalgia bait; instead, it plays more like a conversation with the past. It doesn’t try to recreate who they were; it just acknowledges that version existed and moves forward from it.

That’s really where Almost There separates itself. A lot of reunion records try to prove something. This one doesn’t feel like it needs to. There’s confidence in the restraint, in the decision to let songs breathe instead of forcing them to hit the same emotional peaks they did nearly two decades ago.

Sonically, the album stays grounded in what made the band work in the first place: clean guitars, tight structures, melodies that stick without feeling overworked. But there’s more space now, more patience. The edges aren’t as sharp, but they don’t need to be.

There’s also a noticeable shift in perspective. The writing feels more observational, less reactive. It’s not about immediacy anymore. It’s about distance, and what that distance reveals over time.

That might not hit the same way for everyone. If you’re looking for a direct continuation of Almost Here, this isn’t that. But if you’re willing to meet it where it is, there’s something more interesting happening.

Almost There doesn’t try to compete with the past. It reframes it. And in doing that, it makes a case for why coming back only works if you’re actually bringing something new with you.

THE ACADEMY IS… ALMOST HERE 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2026

APRIL
04/10 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
04/11 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
04/15 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
04/16 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
04/18 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor
04/19 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando
04/24 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
04/25 – Dallas, TX – The Echo
04/26 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston

MAY
05/01 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
05/02 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at The Market
05/07 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
05/08 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
05/09 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
05/23 – Mexico City, MX – Pabellón del Palacio de los Deportes

JUNE
06/13–06/14 – Washington, DC – Festival Grounds at RFK Campus †

JULY
07/25–07/26 – Long Beach, CA – Shoreline Waterfront †

† Warped Tour