Illinois post-rock legends American Football is currently composed of Mike Kinsella (Vocals/Guitar), Steve Holmes (Guitar) and Steve Lamos (Drums/Trumpet). Though their fan-favorite self titled LP, “American Football”, came out in ‘99, a recent uptick in the midwest emo genre casted a spotlight on the group’s foundational sound. The vast majority of their songs are written in unconventional time signatures, giving the band an additional “math rock” label.
The group has substantial influence in the general indie scene, with artists such as Paramore, Snail Mail, Phoebe Bridgers and The 1975 holding great reminiscence of American Football’s sound. Older Gen Z readers may recognize hits “Never Meant” and “The Summer Ends” from social media references. America’s favorite players are currently on tour with NYC’s femme rock band Hello Mary, and made a memorable stop at Asheville’s The Orange Peel.
It is absolutely true live variations and professionally mixed variations of songs can be completely unrecognizable of each other; it can be expected that rock bands will create high energy environments, however American Football’s dreamy bass lines and fuzzy guitar riffs keeps the liveliness in the room, but on a lower wavelength. The band’s North American tour concluded on Sept. 10 in Nashville, and additional dates in South America have been posted on their website for late November.
