The genre defying New Academics are a Johannesburg based South African band, who have dished out their twisted brand of groove-oriented rock from almost every single club and festival stage in the country since their inception in 2004. 5 years later, with 2 albums, 2 consecutive SAMA “Best Alternative Album” nominations and 3 European Tours under their belt, the band has stepped off the beaten path once more as 2009 sees them redirect their sound down more electronically oriented pathways.

New Academics was founded by Joe Penn (vocals) and Dave Baudains (guitar) in the balmy summer of '04, way down south of Johannesburg in the tourist mecca of Cape Town. After a brief stint on the coastal scene as a trio (vocals & sampler, guitar and drums), they packed their bags for the big city and wound their way through the dusty Karoo up to the burnt out concrete disco-ball that is Johannesburg. Shortly after arrival, they joined forces with bass playing pogo stick Martin Labuschagne and funk-metal human drumming machine Howie Combrink to record the album “City of Strange”.

The band came together in studio in early 2008 to record the second album, "The Apple" along with new drummer Brendon Van Rooyen, which was released and toured nationally mid-2008. The album showcases a more mature and focussed New Academics, spread across 12 tracks with varied themes running through the gambit of the South African reality.

In late 2008, the band embarked upon an extremely successful tour of Germany and The Netherlands, which included a hi-octane exhibition performance for the Popkomm music industry festival in Berlin. The tour laid solid groundwork for further trips abroad, and in the first half of 2009 the band set off on two return outings to Europe; with festival and club appearances across The Netherlands, Germany and France.

With the onset of 2009 came a desire for further musical experimentation, as principle song-writers Joe Penn and Dave Baudains re-united with drummer Howie Combrink to steer the band’s sound down alternate sonic boulevards. The sound remains energetic and propulsive, but now sports a dark, spacey, electronic tint as infant material for a proposed third album twists and turns itself into tangible shape.