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Most people believe that the third album from any band is the make or break point. After introducing us to your sound with album one, and confirming a place in our ears with album two, the third release is the one to take our breath away. The Academy Is... could surely testify to this.

It seems to have been a difficult run for the band in previous years, with label mates Fall Out Boy and Panic At The Disco constantly foreshadowing them in the mainstream spotlight, and a badly received second record. Yet, strangely enough, they sought inspiration in the unlikely - at least for a band of six years and counting - destination of high school. We were lucky enough to speak with bassist Adam Siska about everything from bad reviews, the band's latest release and what music really means to him.

OS: You recently released your third album, 'Fast Times At Barrington High'. How have people reacted to it so far?
Adam: It's been really exciting. I mean, we've been on tour pretty much since it's come out and we've been playing a handful of new songs which seem to be going over really well. Last night in particular, we tried a couple of new songs that we've never played live before; it was a lot of fun. We were surprised at how many people are singing the new songs - I think they sang loudest during the new songs than they did in any others of the set. So it's really exciting for us: we put a lot of work into the record and there's nothing more important than when we feel passionate about a song, then we play it live and we can feel that the crowd's pretty passionate about it too. It's a pretty good feeling. So, so far, it's been really great. But I mean, I saw a review in Kerrang that wasn't so, uh... [laughs]
OS: Sometimes Kerrang don't really understand some of the albums they review...
Adam: We weren't expecting them to. [Jokes] People who write reviews obviously don't like music anyway. If you like music, you listen to it. You don't wanna criticise it. It's important to have an opinion, but there are very many times in reviews - which we not to even read - but I was just skimming through Kerrang and thought, "well, that's pretty bad!" [laughs]
What's funny is, in Kerrang review it talks about the record being boring and dumbed down. But, they hated our last record too, and the one before that. Then, a few pages before the review, there's a full page spread of William [Beckett, vocalist], which is kind of like, "oh cool, I'm glad that we're doing a lot for your guys' magazine but..." That's fine, I can live with it. That comes with the territory. I think all of my favourite records have gotten bad reviews.

OS: On that note, Kerrang may not fully understand the album because of it's more youthful feel. How did you feel exploring such themes on your band's third record?
Adam: Exploring the youthful feel of it?
OS: Especially seeing as some people may consider it strange after your earlier releases seemed to deal with, almost more 'mature' issues?
Adam: No, um. I think that with 'Almost Here', when we did that.. I was fifteen years old when we recorded that album. So, whether we liked it or not, it was gonna be a youthful album. It was the first album we ever made and we didn't really know what we were doing. Had we, I think it would've turned out much better than it did but fortunately, people liked that record. I guess that was the record that put us on the map for a lot of people. And we always have a lot of fun playing those songs and felt that there's a certain passion sent back from the crowd in playing those songs. Then, on the second record, as much as we're passionate about it, it came from a very different place. We'd been on tour a lot. Also, in those few years, a lot of the... whatever scene we were playing in or associated with, had blown up to a very mainstream level, but we didn't necessarily know where we sat in that. We're not necessarily fans of commercial pop music, you know - we're fans of everything and like every genre of music. So on the last record, it was an experimental record for us just because we didn't really know what else to do. We weren't about to write structured pop songs: we didn't even know how, at that point. It's hard to recreate your first record when you don't even know how you did your first record. It was just whatever came naturally. It wasn't too well thought out. So, the last record, you know, was a little unfocused, it was all over the place and frankly, it was a little bit dark. For the exception of one song on the record, they're all in a minor key, which just tends to be a little bit of a sadder key. The songs weren't necessarily sad, they just had a darker tinge. As much as we liked the record, when we were touring on it, the songs were fun to play but they didn't have that same vibrant energy as the songs from the first record.
That was one thing we did address, coming in to write our third. We wanted to recapture the sense of real positive feeling in the songs so when we play them, it's strictly releasing positive energy and people are having a good time. So, that's what we wanted to do. On this record, we wrote some songs in a major key, knowing they would feel a little bit more upbeat. I think that there should be no rules in making a record and it's important for fans and critics to appreciate the idea of a band's career. We plan on being a band for a long time, and plan on making records as often as possible, when our hectic touring schedule allows us to get into the studio. Every record is going to be very different... our next record could be very dark [laughs] or the next one could be way poppier than this one. We don't know! It all just depends on how we're feeling coming off touring this record and what we really feel like saying at that moment. But, on this record it was really just about being true to who we are as a band; we're all still really young and I think it was a very healthy thing for us to recognise that, saying, "we're a band, let's have fun!" We have the rest of lives to take ourselves too seriously.
I don't think, for as much as we say it's a youthful record, I feel like it's the most mature record we've ever done, in the sense ofknowing that we're youthful. Everything was deliberate and that's what makes it mature. Maturity isn't about... confusing people with your music! Its about writing the songs that you intended and set out to make. that's what we did. Just because a song is labelled a pop song, doesn't make it an immature song. I've always felt that way.

OS: Would you agree that with 'Fast Times' you wanted the album to portray particular stories, and in the quite literal sense, be ballads?
Adam: I'd say so, yeah. I mean, we wanted to get back to the point where each song stood for itself. Its fun to makes record that ramble a lot and then go to different spots, which we really felt in 'Santi'. Each track was just like... some of the songs were completely and drastically different to the next. We're all about that! We feel the same way about this one, but we feel like these songs are different from each other in the sense that, they each tell a different chapter of a story. We wanted this record to feel like it was a twelve song record that, from start to finish, each song had its 'two cents' to contribute to the record - or 'two pence' over here.
Yeah, I think the only thing that we could've done on this record in order to be happy as a band was to make songs that were telling a story- there were very few of them on the last record, they were just a little bit more abstract. This time around I think, lyrically, it's way more focused and it says a lot more about real life and the things we have honestly gone through as people, that I'm sure people around here are going through too. That's what music's all about and that's why I feel that this is our best record. I feel like each song touches on a bit of reality, you know; that's what music's all about. In the future, we definitely plan on keeping to that formula and making sure that our songs get from point A to point B.

OS: What made you decide to name the album 'Fast Times At Barrington High'? Was it based on the fact that that was the school you and William attended?
Adam: Yeah, I think one of the reasons we called it that was because William had just graduated from Barrington and I was still going there at the time that we started the band, and, as everyone knows, high school is a very... interesting time - not very well the best time. But, it's definitely the last time in your life where everything is very simple, yet you make it out to be very complicated. I can't tell you how many times in high school, my friends and I, we'd get fixated on a girl, or anything at all, and you'd think it was the end of the world if it didn't work. Then, all of a sudden, high school's over and you're like, "none of that even mattered". I think in many ways, that never really ends in life. You have to live in the present, you can't over think anything, or let anything become too big in your head, because ultimately, you're just gonna move on to the next thing in life. Life is a journey and that's how we were feeling in the band. It was like, how do we ... everything has a lot of pressure, how are we gonna get through this, you know? How do you take things to the next level? The answer is just to do what you do, be happy and you'll get there. I think that, as a band, we found that it was the first time. I guess, this record, it's not just about high school, it's about the five years since we've left school and being in the band. It's almost paying tribute to the people we were then, and admitting that we're still the same people we were then, but time and, I guess, miles on the road have changed us a little bit! We're still coming from the same place, we're still big fans of music and ultimately we came from nothing, we had nothing but the band gave us something. We just wanted to pay tribute to that and get back to the place where we felt like nothing really mattered, other than what we were doing right now: just having fun and playing for our fans, who've supported us so loyally through the years.
Did I answer the question? I don't even know! [laughs]

OS: Would you go as far to say that this is the definitive The Academy Is... record?
Adam: I think so. You know, it's hard when you make your first record and people like it, they're always gonna point to that one and say, "that's when I fell in love with the band. Nothing could top that first record." You know, that's cool, but ultimately as a band, we want to continue making new fans, as well as pleasing the fans that have been here since day one. We felt like this is a record that the fans that have been with us since day one could appreciate because, like I said, it's paying tribute to where we began, and paying tribute to every show we've ever played, every fan we've ever talked to, every time we've ever come to the UK and played at the Cockpit... It's for the people that were there and it's for the people that are going to be there in the future. People can point to the first record and always say, "nothing can ever top this", but I guess that's how it's always been. I think that... I'm reading this Bob Dylan autobiography right now and he's talking about how, every time a new record came out, people would just criticise him. Like, he wrote his best song, his most famous song, 'Like A Rolling Stone', and he would play it live and people would boo him. Everywhere he went, they would play new songs, but he'd just get boo-ed. Then, after time goes by, all those people would realise, "oh! That's the best song! What was I thinking?!" Well, we found that a lot. When the last record came out, people tried to write it off and say it wasn't as good, but now that this new one [Fast Time At Barrington High] is out, they're saying they like that and this one's crap. That's always how it's gonna work, but we just wanna make the best records that we can and people can just take it for what it is.

OS: You have an amazingly supportive fan base too...
Adam: We do, yeah. We're fortunate for that and I think that we'll always have some people that are supporting us, no matter what, which feels really good. We like the idea that fans are attached to us in some way or another and that they wanna hear the next thing that we say, regardless of what it is. It's also very important though, that the songs connect with people for more than just being loyal fans. We want them to feel more connected to the songs than just, the idea of the band, or TAI TV. As much fun as we have doing those things, ultimately, the most important thing is our music. We wanna make good songs and keep moving forward as a band and we hope that we've done that, and look forward to doing it more in the future as well.

OS: Do you tend to try and include certain messages to your fans within your music?
Adam: Absolutely! I mean, on this record, we wanted to make songs that were nostalgic to us. We wanted to write about a time and a place when we weren't given any of the blessings we have now; this bus, or the comfort of our fans and friends. We wanted to write about a time when we were a little bit more uncertain and hopefully, install a little bit of hope to our fans. Ultimately, we want to encourage people that music is a very positive thing. We wanna encourage our fans to play music, and if they don't play, to really love music and never forget that it's probably the best thing there is. I think that's the ultimate message.

OS: It's been said that 'Fast Times' really helped the band come out of a difficult position and almost 'saved' the band as such. What do you think of this idea?
Adam: I mean, it's interesting. When touring on the last record, we realised that we'd been a band for about five or six years, doing this, day in and day out, for as long as we could remember. We basically sacrificed all personal relationships for the sake of playing music and travelling. As much as we love it, it's a hard thing to do. Everyone needs comfort and...
OS: When you kick up your roots so often if becomes unhealthy? Yeah! We're in a new city every day and sometimes it's a little... you can get lost a little bit. It's hard to find the right path to happiness.
I think, going into writing this record, we weren't sure what we wanted to do. We didn't know where we wanted to go with our music because on the third record, there's this feeling that you can do whatever you want. On the second record there's all this pressure to live up to the first one; on the third one, it's just like, we are whoever we are and we just want to make a good record. So, we were making a record that was fun to us, and it brought us together closer as friends. We were writing in Los Angeles and it was a lot of fun out there, but it was very slow-paced. At times, we'd over think things a little bit. We'd write a song and keep playing it for two weeks, and by the end, the original feeling of the song was completely lost because we'd over thought it. Then, when we moved out to New York to actually start doing the pre-production and recording the album, you know, New York is such a fast-paced city. We'd look out of our window and see people going to work all day and walking around, and just so many people. It made us feel insignificant in the best of ways. It made us feel human for the first time in a long time. We were all sharing an apartment there and it was just like, becoming friends again; walking around New York city, having lunch together, talking about music, or listening to music. All of things that started the friendship to begin with were introduced back into daily routine. The record, to track and record, was a real fun process: we were all able to prove ourselves and our talent to each other, which is an important thing in a band. Egos can kind of, you know... So, it was fun to get into a studio together and give it everything we have... no pun intended. But to really put all of our energy into it brought us closer as friends.

OS: As a pretty massive question; currently, we're experiencing hugely difficult times for musicians, working in such a critical and cynical industry. What do you think pushes you to still believe in your band and in turn, music itself?
Adam: I wish everyone would ask this question, I think it's an important thing. You know, I think that we all had a genuine - even more than a love - a desire to create music. Just for the reason that music can change everything for a person. I think the best songs find you, more than you find them. For example, I was driving the day before we left for the UK and I was listening to 'Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. I've listened to that record countless times, and there's a song on it that never really struck me the way it did. But, I was driving around and the second track on 'Freewheelin'...' came on and it's called 'Girl From The North Country', and it came on and just perfectly fit the moment with what I was doing, just driving around, about to leave for tour. It filled me with this sense of nostalgia and hope at the same time. It's that feeling that you have when you hear a song; it's the answer to all of your problems. Ultimately, music is the most, the best thing you could ever imagine, when you find it in the right moment. For as long as I can remember, I strived to create that and be apart of music in some way or another, and I really don't know where we would be as people without the ability to at least attempt to create that. I really don't see, for the five of us in this band, I don't see where we could be without at least having the chance to come together as a band and try to write songs that hopefully make people feel a little bit better in their days. Whether they're walking to walk, listening to their iPod and hearing one of our songs, or partying with some friends, or sitting alone in their room. Music is something that is... it's strange to think that when we're sitting here in our bus, there are countless people out there sitting alone in their bedrooms, just the way we did when we were kids, listening to music and loving it. The idea that we can be apart of that and carry it on to the next generation of music players that are sitting in their room now learning guitar. Perhaps we're influencing them the way that other bands did before. I don't know where we'd be as people without that. That's something... I don't think you could ever take the drive away from us. As music lovers, we never really thought about critics or record sales or video airplay or any of those things. You just think about making a song that makes people feel better, or make you feel better and that's not something that anyone can touch. It's something that comes from within. I'd like to say that whenever this band ends, whenever that may be, we'll all continue making records because that's just what we like to do, and because there's not really anything else that we could do.
I don't know if that really answers the question; I went on a bit of a ramble... [laughs]

OS: It does! It's actually really inspirational to hear an artist speak in that way about music.
Adam: I'd like to think that everyone thinks that. I mean, I'm a music lover which can put me as a critic sometimes and there are certain bands out there that I'll point to and say, "I don't like you" or whatever. But, hopefully to them, they're saying everything that they want to say about themselves. If not, hopefully they're having a good time as a friends. Critics can't take away personal creativity and you've just gotta do that for yourself. I hope that every band, that I know at least, feels that way about themselves and hopefully will continue doing that for as long as they can. Especially when you can at least make a living on it; we've on tour for fives years now and none of us have big mansions anywhere or anything, but we've had a fine life and a comfortable life and a life that we like. I don't see where that could possibly end without us being happy.

OS: As a band, you constantly seem to put on intensely passionate shows. We've seen you before in Leeds and it was amazing. Why do you think such intensity is important in your live shows?
Adam: At Slam Dunk Festival? That was probably my favourite show ever! That was blast. Yeah, I mean, the intensity of the show, I think that's just something that comes from us. For however long we play, whether it be a half hour, or an hour, as long as we're allowed to play, it's the one time that we can really do that. To put on an energetic show is just something that we want to do, it doesn't really come from a contrived sense that we need to put on a crazy show. It's just natural energy, a lot of which comes from our fans as well.

You can check out The Academy Is... live at this year's Give It A Name Incoming Festivals on April 17th and 19th in Manchester and London.