Under Bad Moons, I'm A Bad Bone
Midwest emo pioneers American Football first emerged in Urbana, Illinois in the late 1990s, when vocalist and guitarist Mike Kinsella formed the trio with guitarist Steve Holmes and drummer Steve Lamos. Their 1999 debut album—later known as LP1—became a cult classic in the emo and math-rock worlds, despite the band breaking up shortly after its release.
Over time the record grew into one of the genre’s most influential releases, eventually leading to the band’s reunion in 2014 and the addition of bassist Nate Kinsella. Since then, American Football have continued expanding their sound while maintaining the emotional depth that made the project so beloved in the first place.
In 2026 they return with their fourth studio album, American Football (LP4), arriving May 1 via Polyvinyl Record Co.and produced by the band alongside producer and mixer Sonny DiPerri.
The first single, “Bad Moons,” is an eight-minute slow burn that began as two separate songs before being fused into one sweeping composition. The track unfolds patiently, giving space for Kinsella’s lyrics—dark, reflective, and painfully real—to land.
The song arrives with an epic video directed by Alex Acy and Rémi Belleville, visually echoing its themes of memory and adolescence. It’s the kind of video that hits hard emotionally—proof that even decades in, American Football can still deliver something powerful as they step into the next chapter of their unlikely career.
Follow American Football on IG at @americfootball
