American Football, also known retrospectively as LP1, is the debut studio album by American rock band of the same name, released on September 14, 1999, through Polyvinyl. It was recorded shortly after the band released their debut self-titled EP through Polyvinyl in October 1998. The group, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Mike Kinsella, guitarist Steve Holmes, and drummer Steve Lamos, recorded their debut album at Private Studios in Urbana, Illinois, with production from Brendan Gamble.
American Football was positively received by critics and US college radio stations, but the band split up soon after its release. The album has since received further critical acclaim and attained cult status and is today considered one of the most important math rock and Midwest emo records of the 1990s. A deluxe edition was released by Polyvinyl in May 2014 shortly after American Football announced their reunion, the demand for which crashed the label’s website, and peaked at number 68 on the US Billboard 200. A month later, a music video was released for the song “Never Meant”, directed by Chris Strong, who created the cover artwork for American Football.