American Football Music Analysis

How do you follow up perfection? American Football seems to ignore this question altogether with their newest self-titled release. That’s because it doesn’t feel like they are trying to follow anything up. In fact, the entire album sounds like a band that is very comfortable with their own sound, a group of musicians that genuinely want to write and perform songs they are proud of.

Still, this leads into another question, how do you follow up a solidified legacy? American Football could be described as one of the most influential bands within the scene of emo music. In fact, almost every emo revival band today seems to either directly attempt to recreate the twinkly, emotional sound or cites the band as a major influence to their music. This

Mike Kinsella enters shortly afterwards and although there is a noticeable difference in his pitch and style of singing, the change is welcome as he smoothly croons into the melodic atmosphere, producing a chill-inducing soundscape for any fan. American Football play into their strengths on this record, and despite the fact that it could’ve easily turned into another Owen album, it’s able to set itself apart distinctly. The band relies heavily on breathing room and atmosphere, much like their first LP, while also pushing this sound into more intense territories. ‘Born to Lose’ is a fantastic example as the track winds its way through twinkly melodies for the first three minutes of the song with Kinsella leading the way. Eventually, the song pauses shortly and Kinsella drops out of the picture, letting an Honestly? -esque guitar riff power through, creating one of the most climactic moments on the

The former is probably the most upbeat song on the entire album, as the track opens with a twinkly-jam influenced rhythmic riff. The tone that is set carries through the rest of the track and the catchy guitar melodies are complimented with Kinsella’s now more urgent, passionate vocals. The faux-bridge after the first two minutes of the track turns into an instrumental, math rock influenced sound the band is classically known for. The closing track, however, might be the pinnacle of the entire album. The lyrical content touched summarizes the overarching themes perfectly, “wild nights when we were younger, we thought we’d live forever, at least we’ll die together”. The track also jams in all the elements American Football is loved for; melodic trumpet lines, soaring melodies, subdued yet fluttering guitars, and a peaceful fade out ending. With the soft yet abrupt ending to the album you are beckoned to listen again as if the nostalgic drenched atmosphere was an addictive