Third Time’s The Charm

American Football have returned with the follow-up to their 2016 self-titled album (LP2). The newest self-titled record, nicknamed LP3, is a stellar offering that reaffirms why American Football are a staple in the Midwestern Emo genre, while also pushing their sound in new and interesting directions.

The band’s concerted effort to pursue fresh and alternative sounds is apparent from the first few seconds of LP3. “Silhouettes,” the album’s lead single, opens with a hypnotic, dreamlike xylophone melody, backed by spacey, ambient chords. The sound is dreamlike, but inherently tense, leaving the listener wondering exactly where things might go. Suddenly, it kicks into a beautifully somber progression in the familiar American Football mold. Frontman Mike Kinsella’s vocal performance is emotive and strong, and his string-work is excellent, particularly on guitar. Lyrically, the mood reflects the song’s somber vibe: “Oh the muscle memory / Continues to haunt me.” The progression is pretty, and the occasional use of dissonant chords to offset the song’s major tonality is a nice touch.

“Every Wave To Ever Rise” opens with a similarly trance-inducing chord progression and a simple yet effective rhythm section that form the song’s bones. The track is the first to feature a guest vocalist, Elizabeth Powell of Canadian indie band Land of Talk. The next track, “Uncomfortably Numb,” features Hayley Williams of Paramore. It is a deeply moving and powerful song about growing up and getting old. As Kinsella grows older, he moves from resenting his father to seeing himself repeating the same mistakes.

At just about any moment on LP3, it’s striking just how strong the instrumental interplay is. The musical backdrop against which Kinsella sings is multilayered compositions, working like a perfect machine with countless wheels and levers moving in harmony. It pushes the listener’s conception of just what an emo song should sound like, blending elements of jazz and ambient post-rock masterfully. It’s the mark of true craftsmanship and that of a band that has refined their sound after three full releases.

From the powerfully expressive lyrics reflecting the psyche of a man struggling with growing into middle age and parenthood to the flawless instrumentation, LP3 is a masterclass rivaling the band’s original 1999 release. It’s short by modern standards at just eight songs, but those eight songs occupy a hefty 47 minutes, with no song clocking in at under four minutes. Each one is a sprawling exploration, worthy of its lengthy run-time. LP3 is one of the best releases of 2019 so far and should be on every indie fan’s radar.