The band was formed by guitarist, bassist and singer Mike Kinsella (formerly of Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc and currently of Owen), guitarist Steve Holmes (also a member of the Geese), and drummer and trumpet player Steve Lamos (formerly of the One Up Downstairs, one-time member of the Firebird Band and Edward Burch & the Staunch Characters, and currently of the Geese and DMS).
Despite the group's short initial lifespan, their self-titled debut album became one of the most acclaimed emo and math rock records of its era.
Again eponymous, and again on Polyvinyl, the album was released in October 2016, preceded by the single "I've Been So Lost for So Long", which was made available for streaming through SoundCloud.
The American Football House had become a landmark for emo music fans around the world since the first album's release, who would travel to Urbana, Illinois, to take photos outside of the home.
[15] American Football's third album, once again eponymous, was released in March 2019, with the single "Silhouettes" made available upon announcement the preceding December.
[17] A single with the tracks "Rare Symmetry" and "Fade Into You", a Mazzy Star cover, was released in December the same year.
[18] On February 13, 2023, the band were announced as the opener for The 1975's outdoor show at Finsbury Park in London on July 2.
[20][21] In May 2023, the band announced that they had purchased the American Football House pictured on the cover of their debut album, in order to save it from being turned into a condominium.
[26] Talking about the group's sound, Tim Sendra of AllMusic wrote, "The trio spent almost a year coming up with a clean, melodic approach that blended the intimacy of emo with the empty space of jazz, while adding pop hooks and jangling guitar interplay to the mix.
Freshman year, I was turned on to a lot of the bands that would influence our sound: Nick Drake, Red House Painters, Elliott Smith, Codeine, the Sea and Cake, The Smiths/Morrissey, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Can, Steve Reich, etc.