Calling all emo kids, current and former; this is a big one. This year, American Football's self-titled (a.k.a. LP1) somehow turns 25 years old. Yeah, this writer just felt her knees crack as well. We'll check back in when we're both not so emotional.
Anyway, such a seminal album obviously deserves a birthday celebration for the ages, and the band—that's Steve Holmes, Mike Kinsella, Nate Kinsella, and Steve Lamos—is pulling out all the stops. They'll be releasing a fully remastered version of the original 1999 record alongside American Football (Covers), a full cover version of LP1 featuring some of the artists the album helped inspire throughout the years.
Today, the band shared Ethel Cain's absolutely gorgeous cover of "For Sure," complete with a 10-minute music video that she shot and edited herself. While the original track was only three minutes long, you won't feel the lengthening in Cain's version, which preserves the lilting melody and longing vocals, with a new and welcome climax around the 5-minute mark.
"I knew I wanted to do ‘For Sure’ immediately," Cain said in a statement. "It’s always stood out to me every time I spin the record, and I knew exactly how I wanted to translate it into my sound. My favorite part of the entire track is the sound of the train going by the apartment I lived in back in Pennsylvania, stretched out like a synth at the beginning and end."
"American Football is one of those bands that really marked such a moment in time with their debut record, a mark with so much longevity that it found me the same way at 20 years old that I imagine it found everyone else the day it was first released: as an instant classic," she continued. "Their sonic storytelling has inspired me in more ways than I can count over the years, so being asked to contribute to this covers edition was truly an honor. American Football forever."
In his own statement, Lamos shared that Cain's version "somehow made me like this track even more than I already did," crediting one of his university students for first introducing him to the "American Teenager" singer in a "brilliant paper" exploring her "lush sonic landscape." That kid must be over the moon.
Iron & Wine also contributed a great cover of "Never Meant," which you can watch below. The full American Football (Covers) tracklist is:
1. Iron & Wine - “Never Meant”2. Blondshell - “The Summer Ends”
3. Novo Amor & Lowswimmer - “Honestly?”
4. Ethel Cain - “For Sure”
5. Yvette Young - “You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon”
6. Girl Ultra - “But the Regrets Are Killing Me”
7. M.A.G.S. - “I’ll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional”
8. Manchester Orchestra - “Stay Home”
9. John McEntire - “The One With the Wurlitzer”
The band is also going on tour (!) for the 25th anniversary, although tickets are going fast. The full schedule is below:
09/11 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City #
09/12 - Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom #
09/13 - Bristol, UK @ SWX # [SOLD OUT]
09/14 - London, UK @ Roundhouse # [SOLD OUT]
09/27 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall % [SOLD OUT]
09/28 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^ [SOLD OUT]
10/11 - Las Vegas, NV @ Best Friends Forever Festival
10/12 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre ~ [SOLD OUT]
10/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre * [SOLD OUT]
10/24 - Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre !
10/25 - Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre + [SOLD OUT]
10/26 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw # [SOLD OUT]
10/27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw = [SOLD OUT]
11/16 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Corona Capital Festival
03/24 - Taipei, Taiwan @ Legacy Taipei
03/26 - Tokyo, Japan @ ZEPP DiverCity
03/27 - Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quattro
03/28 - Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
# w/ Hello Mary
% w/ BNNY
^ w/ Wishy
~ w/ Yvette Young
* w/ M.A.G.S.
! w/ Sweet Pill
+ w/ Aunt Katrina
= w/ IAN SWEET
American Football forever, indeed.
