American Football (2026 album)

Following a tour supporting LP3 in 2019, the band had planned to take a break by 2020; however, the COVID-19 pandemic had stretched their break indefinitely.^[13] By July 2021, drummer Steve Lamos quit the band due to personal reasons, and plans for writing material were remotely faltered, as Steve Holmes stated, "It was not easy to do on Zoom, and honestly, it wasn't clicking."^[13] In the meantime, Mike and Nate Kinsella were focusing on their side project, Lies, in which they partnered with producer/mixer Sonny DiPerri. Following Lamos' return to the band in 2023, the Kinsellas suggested they record LP4 with DiPerri in Stinson Beach, California.^[13]

A lengthy March 2026 profile with the band, published in GQ, revealed that Lamos left the band because he felt constantly belittled by Kinsella and was losing creative control over his own work. Lamos and Kinsella struggled with alcoholism; while Lamos was now 18 months sober, a dozen interviewees expressed concern over Kinsella's drinking habits, including his brother Tim Kinsella, who said: "Their relationship with drinking as a whole band absolutely fucking disgusts me. They think the world is a frat hazing."^[14]

The album also discusses Kinsella's infidelity and subsequent divorce.^[15]

The band's label, Polyvinyl, described LP4 as "unflinchingly heavy", noting "suicide, shame, divorce, addiction, self-loathing and rebirth all surface, often within the same song". Holmes said, "If you read the lyrics on the page, they can seem grim, but there's hope in them."^[13]

Musically, the album has been described as post-rock^[16][6] and emo.^[8]

The album was first teased in early February, being officially confirmed that same month on February 18, 2026.^[17] The album's first single, "Bad Moons", was released on February 25, 2026.^[18] The second single, "No Feeling", dropped on April 8, 2026.^[19] The album was released on May 1, 2026.

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[20]