| American Football | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Origin: | Urbana, Illinois, U.S. |
| Discography: | American Football discography |
| Spinoffs: | Owen |
| Spinoff Of: | Cap'n Jazz |
| Current Members: |
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American Football is an American emo band from Urbana, Illinois, originally active from 1997 until 2000. They reformed in 2014.
The band was formed by guitarist/bassist and singer Mike Kinsella (formerly of Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc and currently of Owen), guitarist Steve Holmes (also a member of the Geese), and drummer and trumpet player Steve Lamos (formerly of the One Up Downstairs, one-time member of the Firebird Band and Edward Burch & the Staunch Characters, and currently of the Geese and DMS). Lamos left the band in 2021 but rejoined in 2023.
Despite the group's short initial lifespan, their self-titled debut album became one of the most acclaimed emo and math rock records of its era. After reuniting in 2014, with Kinsella's cousin Nate Kinsella joining the band, American Football has released two more albums, both bearing the same name as their debut: American Football (2016) and American Football (2019).
Mike Kinsella and Steve Holmes knew one another at an early age. Both were students at Wheeling High School in Wheeling, Illinois, where Kinsella played drums for Cap'n Jazz; Holmes played guitar in a variety of bands. Kinsella and Lamos began playing together with David Johnson and Allen Johnson in 1997 under the name "The One Up Downstairs", in which Kinsella was exclusively a vocalist. Three songs were recorded under this name, with the intention of releasing them as a 7" record on Polyvinyl Records. However, the band splintered before the record could be pressed, and the songs were shelved. The three tracks recorded by The One Up Downstairs would finally be released in 2006 as a digital download EP and in 2009 as a 7" record through Polyvinyl.
David Johnson and Allen Johnson went on to form the band Very Secretary (and later Favorite Saints), while Kinsella and Lamos began working with Steve Holmes. American Football completed a total of two releases—a titular EP in 1998 and its debut album in 1999, both through Polyvinyl Records. Though the band did not record bass on the EP, Kinsella played bass guitar on some songs for the LP.
Within a year of the release of its full-length, American Football became a studio project. Shortly thereafter, the band mutually decided to stop recording together.[1] Still, American Football gained critical acclaim for that album, which merged the plain-spoken, confessional lyrics and the varying time signatures of math rock with a softer musical sensibility. These characteristics carried on in Mike Kinsella's solo project Owen, and Kinsella would later re-record "Never Meant" as Owen in 2004.
In March 2014, Polyvinyl Records announced a deluxe reissue of the band's eponymous debut album, including 10 additional unheard demos and live recordings.[2] [3] Live dates, in Champaign and New York, were announced the following month, all of which sold out.[4] For these dates, Mike's cousin Nate Kinsella joined the band on bass – becoming a permanent fixture of the band thereafter.[5] Further tour dates followed in the US, Canada, Spain, UK, Japan, and Australia.[6]
Two years after reforming, the band released their second album. Again eponymous, and again on Polyvinyl, the album was released in October 2016, preceded by the single "I've Been So Lost for So Long", which was made available for streaming through SoundCloud.[7] The album's cover featured the same house photographed on the band's first full-length album. The American Football House had become a landmark for emo music fans around the world since the first album's release, who would travel to Urbana, Illinois, to take photos outside of the home.[8]
American Football's third album, once again eponymous, was released in March 2019, with the single "Silhouettes" made available upon announcement the preceding December. A second single, "Uncomfortably Numb", followed in January 2019. It featured vocals from Paramore's Hayley Williams, marking the first time the band had implemented a featured artist on a song.[9]
Steve Lamos announced his departure from the band in July 2021, citing a change of situation in his life.[10] A single with the tracks "Rare Symmetry" and "Fade Into You", a Mazzy Star cover, was released in December the same year.[11]
On February 13, 2023, the band were announced as the opener for The 1975's outdoor show at Finsbury Park in London on July 2.[12] Later that day, Lamos confirmed his return to the band via Instagram.[13] In May 2023, the band announced that they had purchased the American Football House pictured on the cover of their debut album, in order to save it from being turned into a condominium.[14] The following month, the band played their first public show since December 2019 at Beat Kitchen in Chicago.[15]
American Football is usually described as an emo band[16] [17] and is considered one of the most important bands of the late 1990s Midwestern emo scene and subgenre.[18] [19] [20] The band's musical style has been also described as math rock[21] and post-rock due to the band using uncommon time signatures in their songs, which is a staple in both genres.[22] [23] The band has also been variously described as indie rock,[16] dream pop,[24] and slowcore.[17]
Talking about the group's sound, Tim Sendra of AllMusic stated, "The trio spent almost a year coming up with a clean, melodic approach that blended the intimacy of emo with the empty space of jazz, while adding pop hooks and jangling guitar interplay to the mix."[25] In their article about the history of math rock, specialized online magazine Fecking Bahamas described American Football as "a second-wave emo band rooted in unconventional melodic song structures as well as containing elements of math rock and slowcore".[26]
Steve Holmes has commented on the band's sound, their influences, and relationship with emo, saying:
"With this band, we really did make a conscious shift away from the post-hardcore, emo, whatever sound and scene that we had come out of. Freshman year, I was turned on to a lot of the bands that would influence our sound: Nick Drake, Red House Painters, Elliott Smith, Codeine, the Sea and Cake, The Smiths/Morrissey, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Can, Steve Reich, etc. Mike always liked the slow, sad, dreamy, pretty stuff and I picked that up from him. Tortoise and post-rock bands like Slint were an influence. Lamos brought in his love of 70s jazz fusion via Weather Report and Miles Davis. I was also big into The Beatles and The Beach Boys and lesser known 60s bands and 90s bands that aped that sound."[27]
Current members
Current touring musicians
Former touring musicians[28]
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See main article: American Football discography.