American Football have shared Ethel Cain‘s ethereal cover of the band’s 1999 track ‘For Sure’ from their debut LP.
The cover sees Cain swap the track’s original opening trumpet line for soft guitar plucking which is then paired with her soft, celestial vocals as she slowly sings: “June seems too late
Delayed / Maybe for the better / Imagine us together.” Towards the end of the song, Cain’s cover turns into an explosive shoegaze jam, a reworking of the original’s Midwest emo grandeur.
Filmed and edited by Cain herself, the cover’s accompanying video sees hazy clips of a blue sky, the greenery of a forest, fireworks, lights and houses in the suburbs. Check it out below:
Speaking about the cover in a press release, Cain shared: “I knew I wanted to do ‘For Sure’ immediately. It’s always stood out to me every time I spin the record, and I knew exactly how I wanted to translate it into my sound.
“My favourite part of the entire track is the sound of the train going by the apartment I lived in back in Pennsylvania, stretched out like a synth at the beginning and end. American Football is one of those bands that really marked such a moment in time with their debut record, a mark with so much longevity that it found me the same way at 20 years old that I imagine it found everyone else the day it was first released: as an instant classic.
She continued: “Their sonic storytelling has inspired me in more ways than I can count over the years, so being asked to contribute to this covers edition was truly an honor. American Football forever.”
American Football’s Steve Lamos went on to add that ‘For Sure’ one of his favourite songs from the band’s catalogue and shared: “It’s a simple-but-powerful statement on change and uncertainty that still rings as true for me in middle age as it did when I was in my mid-20s. It also showcases some of my all-time favorite Mike vocals: the ‘ooooohs’ and ‘aaaaahs’ of ‘June seems / too late / delayed / maybe for the better’ are, to my mind, perfection. Ethel Cain has somehow made me like this track even more than I already did.”
Lamos – who is a college professor by day – also explained that he became acquainted with Cain’s music through one of his students. “They wrote a brilliant paper explaining how Cain’s ‘American Teenager’ created a lush sonic landscape through textural elements, careful pacing, and plaintive lyrics,” he said.
He continued: “Cain bathes ‘For Sure’ here in similar luxury. She takes her time with each note, each phrase, and each vowel. In the process, she manages to intensify the ache and longing of the original: the ‘ooooohs’ and ‘aaaaahs’ echo almost endlessly here.”
Cain’s rendition of ‘For Sure’ is in celebration of American Football’s 25th anniversary of their 1999 seminal debut album. The cover will appear on a brand new covers edition of the LP which will also feature contributions from Manchester Orchestra, Blondshell and more.
‘American Football (25th Anniversary Edition)’ tracklist:
1. ‘Never Meant’
2. ‘The Summer Ends’
3. ‘Honestly?’
4. ‘For Sure’
5. ‘You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon’
6. ‘But The Regrets Are Killing Me’
7. ‘I’ll See You When We’re Both Not So Emotional’
8. ‘Stay Home’
9. ‘The One With the Wurlitzer’
‘American Football (Covers)’ tracklist:
1. Iron & Wine – ‘Never Meant’
2. Blondshell – ‘The Summer Ends’
3. Novo Amor & Lowswimmer – ‘Honestly?’
4. Ethel Cain – ‘For Sure’
5. Yvette Young – ‘You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon’
6. Girl Ultra – ‘But The Regrets Are Killing Me’
7. M.A.G.S. – ‘I’ll See You When We’re Both Not So Emotional’
8. Manchester Orchestra – ‘Stay Home’
9. John McEntire – ‘The One With the Wurlitzer’
The band previously released Iron & Wine’s cover of the album’s opening track ‘Never Meant’. The group will also drop a completely remastered version of ‘LP1’ – titled ‘American Football (25th Anniversary Edition)’. Both albums are set for release on October 18 via Polyvinyl. You can pre-order both albums here.
Elsewhere, American Football are due to embark on headline tours in the UK and US starting next week as a way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1999 self-titled debut album. The stint includes a headline gig at the Roundhouse in Camden Town, London on September 14.
Find any remaining tickets here (UK) and here (North America).
American Football’s 2024 UK and US tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
11 – Rock City, Nottingham
12 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
13 – SWX, Bristol
14 – Roundhouse, London
27 – Thalia Hall, Chicago
28 – Thalia Hall, Chicago
OCTOBER
11 – Best Friends Forever Festival, Las Vegas
12 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
13 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
24 – Howard Theatre, Washington, DC
25 – Howard Theatre, Washington, DC
26 – Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
27 – Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
NOVEMBER
16 – Corona Capital Festival, Mexico City
In other news, it has been announced that the American Football house is now available to rent on Airbnb.
Last year, American Football revealed that they had purchased the property (now known among fans as ‘The American Football House’) “in an effort to preserve its place and legacy within the community that built it”.
The cover artwork for the upcoming ‘American Football (Covers)’ shows the house at various stages of the night through nine different photographs, with the video for Iron & Wine’s cover using phantasmal footage of Beam transposed across its walls.
