Coming soon
American Football return with news of ‘LP4’
The Midwest emo titans have also shared the record’s epic lead single, ‘Bad Moons’.
American Football have announced that their fourth studio album - titled ‘American Football (LP4)’, obvs - will be arriving on 1st May via Polyvinyl Record Co.
It’ll be their first full-length proper in eight years; since 2019’s ‘American Football (LP3)’, the band have shared a 25th anniversary edition of their 1999 debut, a covers record, and a live album, but no new original material. Consider this new LP’s lead single, then, a mighty re-introduction.
Clocking in at an epic eight minutes, ‘Bad Moons’ was originally written as two separate tracks which, as frontman Mike Kinsella explains, the quartet “Frankensteined” together to invoke real emotional range, from “playful” to “brooding”. Explaining more about its concept, he notes: “The biggest challenge for me was thematically bridging the innocence and buoyancy of the first act with the deep despair of the second.
“I decided to begin the song as a child. Or, rather… two. Stacked up in a single trench coat; secretly, reluctantly living the life of a grown man, accruing all of his missteps and guilt along the way. By the end, these missteps are almost spilling out of the boys. A cathartic confession, hopefully at least somewhat relatable to anyone listening who’s ever lived a life.”
This reflective attitude is typical of ‘LP4’ overall, too - having been stalwarts of the Midwest emo scene for decades now, American Football are now writing with the wisdom and shifted perspective of middle age, confronting themes of compromise, grief, and growing older.
Watch the video for ‘Bad Moons’ here:
What’s more, American Football have also confirmed details of a 2026 world tour, which will see them make stops across North America, Europe, and the UK (with yet more dates still to be announced), and partner with PLUS1 to donate $1/£1/€1 from every ticket sold to Safe Passage International and The Illinois Coalition for Immigration & Refugee Rights. Find out full details of the band’s upcoming live schedule below.
MAY 2026
15 Denver, CO, Summit Music Hall *
17 Salt Lake City, UT, Kilby Block Party
18 Boise, ID,Treefort Music Hall *
19 Seattle, WA, Moore Theater *
20 Portland, OR, Crystal Ballroom *
22 San Francisco, CA, Regency Ballroom *
23 Los Angeles, CA, The Wiltern *
24 San Diego, CA, The Observatory North Park * (sold out)
JUNE 2026
19 Milan, Alcatraz !
20 Stuttgart, Im Wizeman !
21 Cologne, Die Kantine !
23 Brussels, La Madeleine !
24 Amsterdam, Paradiso !
26 Leeds, O2 Academy !
27 London, O2 Kentish Forum !
28 London, O2 Kentish Forum ! (new date)
JULY 2026
08 Boston, MA, Royale #
09 New York, NY, Brooklyn Paramount #
10 Philadelphia, PA, Franklin Music Hall # (new venue)
11 Washington, DC, 9:30 Club #
14 Richmond, VA, The National #
15 Asheville, NC, Orange Peel # (sold out)
16 Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse #
26 Niigata, Fuji Rock Festival
AUGUST 2026
07 Cleveland, OH, House of Blues ^
08 Toronto, ON, History ^ NEW VENUE
09 Pittsburgh, PA, Roxian Theatre ^
10 Columbus, OH, Newport Music Hall ^
12 Nashville, TN, Marathon Music Works ^
13 Indianapolis, IN, Deluxe at Old National Centre ^
14 Chicago, IL, The Salt Shed ^
15 Milwaukee, WI, Turner Hall Ballroom ^
16 Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue ^
* Mei Semones
! Marconi Union
# IAN SWEET
^ Afternoon Bike Ride
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