Track Listing
01. About A Girl
02. Summer Hair = Forever Young
03. His Girl Friday
04. The Test
05. Rumored Nights
06. Automatic Eyes
07. Crowded Room
08. Coppertone
09. After The Last Midtown Show
10. Beware Cougar
11. Paper Chase
12. One More Weekend

It must be hard being The Academy Is…. In the three-and-a-half years since the release of their debut album Almost Here, they’ve been completely overshadowed by their more famous friends Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, and Gym Class Heroes. However, they’ve been churning out new material steadily in that time and have just released their third full-length studio album, Fast Times At Barrington High.

The album’s title is a play on the name of the 1982 coming-of-age movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High, with the name of the school being swapped for the name of the Chicago high school which The Academy Is… front man and main lyricist William Beckett and bassist Adam Siska attended. The album itself seems to be preoccupied with the high school experience - a little odd considering the fact that Beckett graduated from Barrington High half a decade ago.

Dubious lyrical content plagues the vast majority of the album - constant references to hallways, sleeping in classes, tests, and the tangled love lives of high school students are littered carelessly throughout the tracks, and they wear thin very quickly. After a few songs, the high school talk seems like nothing more than a desperate attempt to appeal to the younger part of the TAI fan base. In fact, it's fair to claim that some of Beckett’s lyrics are even cringe-worthy. “Beware Cougar” offers the almost embarrassing lyric: “Do you want to tie me up?/ Do you want to tie me down?” Hard to believe this is the same William Beckett who snarled, “Take a long walk off the shortest pier you can find,” on the band’s debut just three years ago.

There’s no disputing that the lyrics of Fast Times At Barrington High are a step in a different direction for The Academy Is…. Lyrics from the band’s previous album, Santi - which was released less than 18 months ago - were mostly scathing, and a lot more mature.

The band has also ditched the darker sounds of Santi for a squeaky-clean production, and a dollop of audio UV rays so bright they're enough to make you squint. Almost every song is infused with the sunshine and warmth of a long summer, and, although it’s nice to frolic in the sun for a bit, it gets very old, very fast. At times, the tracks seem to blur together like a sticky, summery mess, so that the album sounds like one long song that wouldn’t be out of place on a generic soundtrack to a show like Laguna Beach.

Unfortunately, the shiny, pop-inspired production on Fast Times At Barrington High is where it stumbles most. It’s so slick you could quite easily slip right off it into boredom and even apathy. It's almost tailor-made for Beckett’s voice, allowing him to excel, and when he hits his stride, his vocals are outstanding. However, the production seems to gloss over the guitars and bass in the body of the songs, meaning only the guitar-led intros and solos stand out. Even then, they all start to sound similar, and the solos seem listless and almost lazy. On the other hand, the band’s drummer, Andy “The Butcher” Mrotek, is given a chance to shine, and his pounding drums stick out by a mile, providing beats perfect for dancing.

While none of the songs on the new album come close to matching the wit and biting sarcasm of TAI’s debut, there are a few standout tracks that cut through the seemingly endless nonsense to remind you that TAI is a band with incredible potential. The opening track, “About A Girl,” has a chorus that you’ll remember long after the rest of the album has been forgotten. The lyrics are clever and endearing, mixing a dose of denial with Beckett’s soaring vocals.

The longest song on the album, "After The Last Midtown Show," features Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate’s front man Andrew McMahon on piano. The result is a dreamy track about teen romance that is easily one of the best songs on the album. The lyrics show Beckett’s maturity, and this song shows how good The Academy Is… could be, if the majority of their latest offering weren't so mediocre.

“Automatic Eyes” is another song which stands out on the CD, again due to the fact that the high school lyrics are swapped for something a little more grown up. Once more, the chorus is insanely catchy, hinting at what this album could have been.

Decaydance kingpin and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz claimed that the demos for Fast Times At Barrington High were “mind blowing” and that The Academy Is… “were miles away from where they were.” It’s just a shame that they’ve traveled miles backwards.

Fast Times At Barrington High may be TAI’s third album, but it cannot compete with the third albums of their peers. It’s strange to think that this is the best The Academy Is… could come up with, when The Black Parade was My Chemical Romance’s third album, and Linkin Park’s third studio effort (remix and mash up albums aside) was the stunning Minutes To Midnight. TAI’s friends and label-mates Fall Out Boy produced an instant classic and unparalleled success with their third album From Under The Cork Tree, and Fast Times At Barrington High seems almost pathetic in comparison. The Academy Is… have rushed through their career so far, releasing three albums in just four years, and while their debut release, Almost Here had swagger, attitude and originality, their new release is sorely lacking. To put it harshly, the majority of the album is boring and even on the first listen the tracks blur together into a very disappointing effort. It’s maddening to know that The Academy Is… can do better. That being said, Fast Times At Barrington High does have some brilliant moments - they just happen to be few and far between.

Feedback? Tell us what you think. We might even post your comment online.