A gentle September breeze swept in the perfect track for those shortened daylight hours.
In celebrating 25 years of American Football‘s self-titled album, LP1, the late ’90s Midwestern emo band will soon release a remastered version of the genre-defining classic, along with a full-length covers version on October 18. With last month’s release of Iron & Wine‘s rendition of “Never Meant,” we now have Ethel Cain‘s hauntingly beautiful take on “For Sure” to hold us over until the full album.
Alternative gothic pop icon Ethel Cain has shown her admiration for the band numerous times throughout her career. In her well-received pop anthem “American Teenager” from Preacher’s Daughter, Cain used the same font and typography positioning for the thumbnail of its music video, uncannily mimicking American Football’s self-titled album cover (seen below). And maybe she is also referencing the band’s infamous house in her song “A House in Nebraska”…
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In American Football’s “For Sure,” a melancholic, wistful trumpet leads intricate guitar melodies to the song’s midpoint. Mike Kinsella‘s yearning vocals then join in, delivering lyrics that feel like a plea for summer — or perhaps a chapter in life — not to end. The trumpet, soft guitar melodies, and subdued vocals all contribute to a sense of bittersweet nostalgia as if looking back on memories of a relationship or a time that’s slipping away.
Cain expands the original version of “For Sure,” tripling its length and adding richer texture to its production style. The song begins with a quiet crescendo of atmospheric hums, creating a serene wilderness filled with chirping birds and reverberated string instruments that mimic natural noises. As American Football’s signature guitar melodies intertwine with Cain’s vocals, she repeats the lines, “June seems too late / Delayed / Maybe for the better / Imagine us together.”
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Around the five-minute mark, an underlying darkness plagues the track, leaning to grungy guitars that nod to the vast soundscapes of shoegaze. The shift disrupts the tranquility originally illustrated, with ominous sounds that resemble falling missiles or apocalyptic sirens — signaling the end to something once beautiful. Punchy percussion evades the initial tempo, creating a slow, head-banging rhythm until the scene fades into utter silence, leaving only American Football’s notable guitars to close the moment.
Cain’s cover of “For Sure” feels reminiscent of the quiet, amber-coated summer nights found in her song “Hard Times,” with crickets, somber hums, and reverberated guitars, as well as the fearful, demonic tones present of “Ptolemaea.” Her rendition breathes new life into the cult-classic anthem, adding a cinematic blend of beauty and destruction to enhance and expand American Football’s original vision for the song.
You cannot spell ethereal without Ethel.
Stream “For Sure” out now on all DSP’s.
MichaelKearney
