It's been seven years since American Football's last album, LP3. Since then, the Midwest emo heroes have celebrated the 25th anniversary of their beloved debut album, and the Illinois home on the cover has been turned into an Airbnb. Now, after announcing LP4 last week on social media, the band is sharing the lead single "Bad Moons."
"'Bad Moons' is actually a Frankenstein of two different demos we’d been passing around for quite a while: one playful, with children playing and toy-pianos plinking; one brooding, with guitars screeching and drums bombasting," Mike Kinsella says. He expounds:
I had already been singing the "(…) in the dark" mantra over the latter, so 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.
The track, which is produced by Sonny DiPerri, comes with a music video directed by Alex Acy and Rémi Belleville. "I think part of growing up is realizing you can only become more empathetic with others once you become empathetic with yourself," Acy explains. "I think boys often have a harder time grasping this, which leads to a lot of dumb & regrettable actions. Rémi & I grew up together and felt like we could connect around this concept from a shared & honest point of view. Quebec, where we grew up & the Midwest feel very similar in a lot of ways. It only felt right to anchor the video in rural Canada."
The group also recently announced a world tour, and a dollar from each ticket sold goes to to Safe Passage International and The Illinois Coalition for Immigration & Refugee Rights to support deportees, migrants, and refugees. See the list of their upcoming shows below along with the video for "Bad Moons."
TRACKLIST:
01 "Man Overboard"
02 "No Feeling"
03 "Blood On My Blood"
04 "Bad Moons"
05 "The One With The Piano"
06 "Patron Saint Of Pale"
07 "Wake Her Up"
08 "Desdemona"
09 "Lullabye"
10 "No Soul To Save"
TOUR DATES:
05/15 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall *
05/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
05/18 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall *
05/19 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theater *
05/20 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *
05/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom *
05/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern *
05/24 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park * (Sold-Out)
06/19 – Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz !
06/20 – Stuttgart, Germany @ Im Wizeman !
06/21 – Cologne, Germany @ Die Kantine !
06/23 – Brussels, Belgium @ La Madeleine !
06/24 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso !
06/26 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy !
06/27 – London, UK @ O2 Kentish Forum !
06/28 – London, UK @ O2 Kentish Forum ! (Second Date Just Added)
07/08 – Boston, MA @ Royale #
07/09 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount #
07/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall # (New Venue)
07/11 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
07/14 – Richmond, VA @ The National #
07/15 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel # (Sold-Out)|
07/16 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse #
07/26 – Niigata, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
08/07 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ^
08/08 – Toronto, ON @ History ^ (New Venue)
08/09 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre ^
08/10 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall ^
08/12 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works ^
08/13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National Centre ^
08/14 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed ^
08/15 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom ^
08/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^
* Mei Semones
! Marconi Union
# IAN SWEET
^ Afternoon Bike Ride
American Football (LP4) is out 5/1 via Polyvinyl Record Co.
