Celebrating 20 Years of American Football’s seminal debut album with Year One Demos

September 13, 2019

"We're only now beginning to recognize how American Football struck an emotional chord, one that’s proven to be every bit as resonant." - Pitchfork, Best New Reissue

"This is the story of American Football... the story of how three kids going to school in Champaign-Urbana accidentally managed to create a major piece of music that has stood the test of time, regardless of how minor the whole period was to them.” - Noisey

American Football’s influential debut album (lovingly known as LP1) will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its unassuming release tomorrow on September 14th. In honor of this special occasion we're sharing a collection of previously unreleased and newly mastered instrumental demos. Year One Demos – 12” vinyl, one time pressing, limited to 2000 – is available for pre-order now in the Polyvinyl Store (out 12/13).

The recordings found on Year One Demos are a glimpse back at that inauspicious time, and according to Steve Lamos who recently re-discovered the original tape (labeled with the date May 31, 1997), it's the first proper set of demos the band ever made.

“My dad ‘recorded’ this in the basement of the house I grew up in,” says Lamos. “As far as I can recall, he set up two vocal mics, at 90 degree angles, set the levels, showed me how to turn the Roberts two-track to ‘record,’ and then went upstairs while we played.”

Lamos last remembers coming across and listening to the tracks in the mid-2000s, nearly a decade before American Football’s eventual reunion. He hadn’t thought about the recordings since until the approach of the LP's 20 year anniversary reminded him of their existence.

“American Football was never intended to be a real band,” Holmes writes in the liner notes for Year One Demos. “The band was our creative outlet, and gave us something to do outside of schoolwork. Not to say that we didn’t take the music seriously. We spent an enormous amount of time crafting and arranging these little songs, but we had zero interest in a ‘music career’.”

“We finished the whole thing in a week and handed Matt Lunsford (Polyvinyl co-owner) the mastered tapes and broke up,” he recalls in an interview with Noisey on the LP1’s oral history. “No press, no record release show, no supporting tour or anything.”

The LP has found its way on to a myriad of best of genre lists, and in a more modern gauge of popularity and impact, seen its album cover art become iconic, and songs (“Never Meant” in particular) transformed into popular memes on Twitter, Reddit and music message boards, with covers galore.

American Football will play Riot Fest in Chicago this weekend on Sunday, following gigs in Kansas City and St. Louis. The band have also announced an intimate three night stand at Schubas Tavern with shows on December 29th, 30th, and a special New Year's Eve performance. The dates will coincide with the legendary Chicago venue’s 30th anniversary. All dates onsale now: