American Football - American Football (LP2) - CASSETTES

American Football's original triumph, on their 1999 self-titled debut, was to reunite two shy siblings emo and post-rock. It was a pioneering album where lyrical clarity was obscured and complicated by the stealth musical textures surrounding it. - Fifteen years later, American Football reunited (now as a four-piece, with the addition of Nate Kinsella). They played far larger shows than in their original incarnation and recorded their long-anticipated second album, 2016's American Football (LP2). The was widely praised, but the band members still felt like their best work was yet to come. - Enter American Football (LP3). 'We put a lot of time and a lot of energy into it,' says Mike. 'We were all thoughtful about what we wanted to put out there. Last time, it was figuring out how to use all of our different arms. This time, we were like - Ok we have these arms, let's use them.' The band used the same producer, Jason Cupp, and recorded the album at the same studio (Arc Studios in Omaha, Nebraska) as it's predecessor - yet they approached it in a markedly different way. There was a determination to let the songs breathe, to trust in ideas finding their own pace. The final result is a definite, and deliberate, stretching of the band. - The album also features Hayley Williams from Paramore on the album's catchiest moment, 'Uncomfortably Numb', and Elizabeth Powell, of the Québécoise act Land Of Talk. Mike wrote lyrics in French especially for her. - LP3 is contemplative, rich, expressive, yet with a queasy undercurrent. It is heavy with expectancy, revealing it's ideas slowly, eliciting the hidden stories people carry around with them. 'I feel like my lyric writing has changed a lot over the years,' says Mike. 'The goal is to be conversational, maybe to state something giant and heavy, but in a very plain way. But, definitely in this record, I keep things a little more

When the idea of recording a 4th album came up (for the second time), American Football knew things were going to get darker. After touring a year's worth of sold-out 25th Anniversary shows around the world and releasing a covers album (featuring Iron & Wine, Ethel Cain, Blondshell & more), the quartet of Mike & Nate Kinsella, Steve Lamos, and Steve Holmes, linked up with producer / engineer Sonny Diperri (My Bloody Valentine, M83, Kurt Vile) to record what would become their most substantial record to date. Blending atmospheric textures with emotive, post-rock style catharsis, LP4 is unlike anything American Football have recorded thus far, yet it fits right in with their evolving and beautiful catalog. Recorded during a 10-day retreat at Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, CA, LP4 finds the band intentionally walking into the abyss - themes of divorce, upheaval, and uncertainty are at the forefront, yet the band sounds more engaged and legitimized than ever before. Opening track, InchMan Overboard,Inch showcases each member's strengths - the un-matched style and jazz swing of Lamos' drumming, the lyrical vulnerability and multi-instrumental mastery of both Kinsellas, and Holmes' signature guitar work - all of it swirling together like a shoegaze tornado, the guitars and bass surging into something twisted and warped. Other standouts like InchBlood On My BloodInch showcase the band's unique use of alternating time signatures while InchBad MoonsInch (the longest track the band has ever recorded) includes some of Kinsella's most intense lyrics yet. The album also features additional guest vocals from Turnstile's Brendan Yates (InchNo FeelingInch), Wisp (InchWake Her UpInch), and Rainer Maria's Caithlin de Marrais (InchBlood On My BloodInch). LP4 is an ambitious artistic statement from a band who have continued to push the boundaries of genre and culture. It's a gorgeous

After quietly releasing their self-titled debut album in 1999 while still in college, American Football disbanded after the album's to focus on other projects, only to reunite 15 years later to a fanbase that had been consistently growing throughout the underground / emo scene. The album later appeared on Rolling Stone's Inch40 Greatest Emo Albums of All TimeInch list at #6, with Pitchfork giving it's deluxe reissue the InchBest New ReissueInch title, calling it the Inchmost influential album in the genre.InchTo celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album's , Polyvinyl is thrilled to announce American Football (Covers), a genre-spanning covers album that highlights the importance and wide-ranging influence of the band's debut. The album features covers of each song by critically acclaimed acts such as Iron & Wine, Ethel Cain, Blondshell, Manchester Orchestra, Novo Amor, Lowswimmer, Yvette Young, and others. Each cover wonderfully highlights the beauty and importance of this noteworthy debut while affirming the continued interest in this unexpected groundswell of cultural prominence. Details 1. Never Meant (Iron & Wine) 2. The Summer Ends (Blondshell) 3. Honestly? (Novo Amor & Lowswimmer) 4. For Sure (Ethel Cain) 5. You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon (Yvette Young) 6. But the Regrets Are Killing Me (Girl Ultra) 7. I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional (M.A.G.S.) 8. Stay Home (Manchester Orchestra) 9. The One with the Wurlitzer (John McEntire)