Lush, expansive indie rock defined by shimmering vibraphones, complex guitar patterns, and guest vocals that explore the weight of adulthood and memory.
It's like the 1999 house album but with more vibraphones and a much bigger budget for feelings.
A sophisticated, wide-screen exploration of adult melancholy and existential drift.
Released in 2019, the third self-titled album from American Football (often referred to as LP3) represents a significant sonic evolution from their 1999 debut. While the band's core DNA of interlocking guitars and odd time signatures remains, LP3 incorporates elements of dream pop, shoegaze, and post-rock. Recorded with producer Jason Cupp, the album features a much more expansive and polished production style than its predecessors, utilizing vibraphones, glockenspiels, and choral arrangements to create a 'symphonic' version of midwest emo. The album is notable for its high-profile collaborations, featuring guest vocals from Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk), Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), and Hayley Williams (Paramore). Critically, it was praised for its maturity and its ability to expand the band's sound without losing the emotional vulnerability that defined their legacy. It stands as a document of the band members as middle-aged artists reflecting on the complexities of long-term relationships and the passage of time.
Put this on for
blue light from a laptop screen at 4amsteam rising from coffee in a cold kitchenempty train car moving through a grey landscapeheadphones on while the rest of the house sleepswatching rain blur the streetlights through glasssolitary walk through a park after the first froststaring at old photos you should have deleted
Moments worth waiting for
The shimmering vibraphone intro of Silhouettes that stretches for over a minute before the vocals enter.
Hayley Williams' voice emerging from the haze on Uncomfortably Numb to provide a haunting counterpoint.
The slow, heavy build of Doom in Full Bloom that eventually collapses into a beautiful, layered orchestral coda.
Sounds like
2019s production with a 2010s soul
Sits beside
Souvlaki - Slowdive, Keep It Like a Secret - Built to Spill, The Moon & Antarctica - Modest Mouse, Hospice - The Antlers
Lyrical territory
self_examination, existential, love_lost
03Deviation
American Football · vs · American Football
Artist
This Album
Gentle
Vocals · ↓ −10% less than usual
On this album, gentle sits about 10% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
