American Lesion for the most part features Graffin's voice alone, and each song features acoustic guitar or piano rather than electric guitars.

The song "Cease" (track 6 on this album) is a slow piano ballad that is also featured on Bad Religion's album The Gray Race as a fast-paced punk rock song.

In most Bad Religion songs, he deals with subjects such as mass globalisation or world pollution.

[2] Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), wrote that Graffin leaves the "angry world of punk for a personal, introspective record filled with acoustic guitars and soft rock songs.

Emotional instead of political, but tough going for hidebound headbangers.