American Football (LP4)

American Football — 2026

“American Football turn adult regret, dark humor, and emotional fallout into one of their richest records yet.”

There is a version of American Football that could have coasted forever on the mythology of its 1999 debut, playing reunion tours for kids who weren’t born yet when those guitar lines first redrew the map of Midwestern emo. LP4 is proof the band has zero interest in that version of itself. This is the record of adults who have made real messes of their lives and chosen, somewhat recklessly, to describe those messes in plain language over some of the most meticulously constructed music the band has ever assembled. Producer Sonny DiPerri pushes the band wider than anything in their catalog, with vibraphone, trumpet, strings, and dissonant piano working against the signature interlocking guitar figures rather than being front and center, creating a friction that feels intentional and earned.

Mike Kinsella’s lyrics have always carried weight through understatement, but here the specificity is almost jarring. Divorce, addiction, self-doubt, and nights spent doing things you will not easily explain to your kids all surface in a voice that barely rises above a conversational murmur. This is such a “journey of life” type of record but the genius is that none of it sounds punishing or relentlessly grim, because the album keeps finding voices to answer back. Caithlin De Marrais of Rainer Maria brings real history to “Blood on My Blood,” and her presence makes her feel less like a guest and more like part of the band. Brendan Yates of Turnstile contributes a high, shimmery harmony on “No Feeling” that cuts right through the density of the track, while Wisp’s Natalie Lu softens “Wake Her Up” into something almost poppy without undercutting the meaning. These are not cameos dropped in for press value. They change the emotional shape of the songs they inhabit and importantly take LP4 to another level.

There is so much brainy wit and artistry running through LP4 that keeps even the heaviest moments from nose diving into self-pity. When Kinsella jokes about being two kids in a trench coat rather than a middle-aged dad and then pivots to listing his sins in the dark, you feel the exact moment the joke runs out. That tonal balance, funny until it suddenly is not, is what makes this record feel genuinely adult and sadly in places maybe it hits a little too close for some. This emotional but draw back to hear it again is the real test and answer that this is a great record.

“Man Overboard” opens the record with a drum pattern so restless and rhythmic it takes a moment to find your footing, which is exactly the right frame for everything that follows. “Bad Moons” could be one of the best thing American Football has ever recorded. At a little over eight minutes, it spirals through surreal humor, cascading string loops, and a second half that just keeps accumulating weight until the confessions land like a door slamming shut. One of those rare long tracks that earns every second and haves you on the edge of your seat. “Patron Saint of Pale” swings into something almost playful, built on a buoyant guitar figure while Kinsella proposes playing Rochambeau (Rock Paper Scissors) as a substitute for actually signing divorce papers. The lightness makes it land harder. It also succeeds with the vocals of Stella Sen and Lila Deckenbach running in its backdrop. “Desdemona” phases wordless vocals through a Steve Reich-style pulse against classic American Football and the collision sounds like nothing they have done before while still sounding unmistakably like them.

Fans of Slint’s slow-burn tension and the confessional weight of Pedro the Lion will find some similarities, but LP4 also utilizes its guest-vocals that defined recent records from Sufjan Stevens and The National. If you have ever loved a Mouths of Babes or Rainer Maria record for the way it made heartbreak sound precise rather than theatrical, this one belongs in that company.

LP4 is what happens when a band stops trying to protect its legacy and starts trusting that honesty, even the ugly and embarrassing kind, is the only thing worth making music about. It is another pinnacle moment for a band that has a catalog of worthy listens.