The Academic "Bye Bye Baby" Single Review

Elke Smits | October 2025

The Academic are actively writing and releasing music again! The Irish band consisting of four members: Craig Fitzgerald (vocals and guitar), Matt Murtagh (guitar), Stephen Murtagh (bass guitar) and Dean Gavin (drums) have released a new single after a long break! 

The band had previously postponed their UK and European tour that was meant to take place from March to May 2025, mentioning in a statement that they want to put everything in their new album: “The truth is, we’ve been pouring everything into our new music, and we’ve realised that the best thing we can do right now is step back and fully dedicate ourselves to finishing our next album. We want to give you something truly special – both from the studio and when we’re finally back on stage.” It is safe to say that they kept their word, and their newest single, “Bye Bye Baby,” was released on 24 September 2025.

They were not wrong about wanting to pour everything in their new music, because this new tune is unreal! The song is written in a minor key, which I am a sucker for. The single definitely sounds a little rougher than their earlier work, and I am a big fan of this decision! I hope we will hear more within this soundgenre from the band. The instrumentals and vocals go amazing together, and the inclusion of the guitar solo is one of the finishing touches. The tension after the solo that morphs into the last chorus is spectacular. I am very excited about the new song and cannot wait for more releases.

The Academic may have postponed their previous tour, but that does not mean you cannot enjoy this song live, because a few months back in July, they announced a new UK and European tour, which is set to begin on 3 October 2025 in Galway, and end on 26 March 2026 in Lisbon, so do not hesitate and buy a ticket! I can not wait to see what The Academic has in store for their next album.

Listen to “Bye Bye Baby” here, and buy your tour tickets to see The Academic on Ticketmaster.