The breakup of The Academy Is… earlier this week caused a lot of commotion on UTG and beyond. Though they only released three over the course of nine years, fans still loved TAI and made it clear their absence would be felt.

Well brokenhearted teens and young adults, fear not! At least part of TAI is still going strong and will be delivering new material sooner than later. Frontman William Beckett has announced he will be kicking his solo career into full swing in the coming months, including the release of his debut full length.

You can read a message from William detailing this new career move after the jump. No release date or label has been announced for his solo project, but we assume details will arrive in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

From William:

I’m having a hard time starting this. I could say something like “pride
comes before the fall”, or “the skill in attending a party is knowing when
to leave”. Rather, I’m going to just come right out and be honest. The
September show in New York was the last show for the The Academy Is. While this is a very difficult decision to make, I believe in my heart that it is
the right decision to make. For years there has a been a growing distance
felt within the band as we’ve progressed, both geographically and artistically and instead of trying to patch the holes that we’re left with, my heart tells me its time to move on with the next chapter of our lives. I want to thank the fans, the world’s greatest, for all of your love and support over
the years. You helped shape who we are today and will continue to do so as
we move toward what’s coming up around the corner.
While this is the end of 8 unforgettable years of TAI, this is not the end
of my story. Not by a long shot. I will be working on a new record in the
coming months and have never felt more freedom and inspiration to create my best and most honest work yet. Obviously that means we won’t be going out on the Jack’s Mannequin tour but you should all still go since Andrew is one of our best friends and puts on an amazing show – you can get tickets here:

http://www.jacksmannequin.com/tour
Many of you have told me before how my words have helped you through tough or transitional times in your lives. You are the reason I make music. I hope I can count on your support as I embark upon new and exciting waters.
You can count on mine.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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