Name: American Football 1
Brand: American Football

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

PRC25LP

Colour

Blue

Colour details

Blue Smoke Vinyl

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: Yes

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-06-23

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0644110002518

Total Cap

Blue LP

PRC025

Extended format: No

2016-10-21

PIAS

5055036264907

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "5055036264907"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Artist

American Football

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Polyvinyl

American Football is a rock band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Originally active from 1997 through 2000, the band consists of guitarist/bassist and singer Mike Kinsella, drummer Steve Lamos, and guitar player Steve Holmes. After reuniting in 2014, American Football has continued to make music together. Nate Kinsella also joined the band permanently as bassist during the recording of LP2.
With members who have been part of other notable bands such as Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc, American Football brings a wealth of experience to their music. Their unique sound blends elements of rock with introspective lyrics that resonate with listeners.
Since their reunion, American Football has played festival sets and headline shows, captivating audiences with their emotive performances. With each release, they continue to push boundaries and create music that connects deeply with fans around the world.

Polyvinyl is an independent label based in Champaign, Illinois. Founded in 1996 by Matt Lunsford and Darcie Knight Lunsford, the label has become a respected name in the music industry. With a diverse roster of talented *artists* and *performers*, Polyvinyl has established itself as a hub for innovative and boundary-pushing music.

Over the years, Polyvinyl has released albums from a wide range of genres including indie rock, pop, punk, electronic, and more. The label's commitment to quality and artistic integrity is evident in every release they put out. They have consistently championed emerging artists who push the boundaries of their respective genres.

In addition to releasing music, Polyvinyl also offers a variety of merchandise options for fans to support their favorite *artists*. From vinyl records to t-shirts and posters, there is something for everyone. The label's online store provides a convenient way for fans to discover new music while directly supporting the artists they love.

Our curated collection of essential albums on vinyl, CD, and tape at Rough Trade.

Rough Trade Essential

Newest Listed Items

Back In Stock

Not long after Polyvinyl Records released American Football's self-titled debut album in 1999, the band called it quits, having only played a smattering of Champaign-Urbana college house parties and sets at small clubs like Chicago's legendary Fireside Bowl. Such an inauspicious turn of events made what followed all the more incredible. Over time, the record went on to become one of Polyvinyl's best selling releases to date, and ended up serving as "one of the single most influential rock records of its time" according to Noisey and many others. To most everyone that found them after the fact, the band was no more than an apparition. 

The record the only artefact left behind as a timeless snapshot of a group of individuals in transition, newly discovered each year by a fresh crop of music fans reaching a similar inflection point in their own lives. The again self-titled American Football finds the band with new material that takes them on a serendipitous detour down a familiar road. It is replete with the swelling emotions that might be spurred on by locked away memories unearthed by a familiar scent or crack in the concrete, or the rush of warm apprehension when coming face to face with a lover left before the fire was close to going out.

"The past still present tense" sings Mike Kinsella on "Home Is Where The Haunt Is", but while the house on the cover and the title of the album are the same, they are made strange by time and new found perspective. "We've been here before," he declares on album opener "Where Are We Now?", "but I don't remember a lock on the door." 

At a time when reunions have become rote, American Football is decidedly an anomaly. There is no past glory to relive or reignite, nor the burden to branch out and break from a well worn formula. Seventeen years later everything still feels brand new, because for them it is. They are a band that for one reason or another closed the lid on their creative output just as they were beginning an unforeseeable upswing, and are just now after a stasis returning to uncork it with the benefit of greater maturity and better musicianship. 

The sound is even more expansive, the lyrics less naive and more world weary, the songs have greater depths to explore and layers to peel back throughout. "You can't just forget all the other lives you've lived," Mike Kinsella sings, and every single one of the nearly two decades worth of experiences since they last put pen to paper as American Football seem to bleed through on this record.

American Football 1

Music GB

Discover American Football by American Football. Vinyl and CD formats available, including signed copies. Released by Polyvinyl Records. A timeless snapshot of a band in transition, with new material that explores emotions and memories.