watch American Football's Tiny Desk concert ft. Pure Bathing Culture & a children's choir

American Football performed three of the songs from their great new album LP3 in a new NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Pure Bathing Culture’s Sarah Versprille joined them for “Every Wave to Ever Rise” and “Uncomfortably Numb” (which feature Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell and Paramore’s Hayley Williams, respectively, on the album versions), and members of the Children’s Chorus of Washington joined for “Heir Apparent” (which features the Omaha Children’s Choir on the album version). Via NPR:

American Football’s thoughtful and expansive return has yielded two self-titled records in just three years. This set culls from LP3, as it’s colloquially known, as Pure Bathing Culture’s Sarah Versprille steps in to sing backing vocals for “Every Wave to Ever Rise” and takes a verse on “Uncomfortably Numb,” whose recorded versions feature Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell and Paramore’s Hayley Williams. These spacious songs acts as revelatory meditations on what it means to grow older in love and relationships, with lovers and family.

For “Heir Apparent,” we reached out to members of the Children’s Chorus of Washington to sing the coda’s quiet mantra. When the 12-to-14-year olds asked frontman Mike Kinsella what the song meant, in order to capture the right emotion, he told them, in so many words, that it was a sad song, but that he’d like them to wear paper crowns while singing it. Just a touch of Kinsella irony, as he grinned ear-to-ear and they sang, “Heir apparent to the throne / The king of all alone.”

Watch below.

American Football have upcoming tour dates, including China shows with Chinese Football, Chicago’s Riot Fest, and more.

American Football — 2019 Tour Dates
JULY
27 – Niigata, Japan – Fuji Rock Festival
30 – Beijing, China – Omin Space #
31 – Shanghai, China – Mao Livehouse #

AUGUST
01 – Hong Kong, Hong Kong – This Town Needs #
02 – Manila, Philippines – Power Mac Center Spotlight
03 – Bangkok, Thailand – RCA Live Arena
04 – Singapore, Singapore – Pavilion Far East Square
05 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Palem Studio

SEPTEMBER
13 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada
14 – Saint Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
15 – Chicago, IL – Riot Fest

NOVEMBER
02 – London, UK – Roundhouse
03 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club (Matinee) *SOLD OUT*
03 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club (Evening)
04 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla

# w/ Chinese Football