You're listening to Song Exploder,
where musicians take apart their songs and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made.
I'm Rishikesh Hirway.
Just a heads up, there is some explicit language in this episode.
The band American Football had a short lifespan originally.
They formed in 1997 and broke up in 2000.
In that time, they released an EP and an LP to a small but passionate fanbase.
But over the years since, more and more people found their music.
14 years after they broke up, they reissued their LP and booked some shows.
The LP ended up being a surprise hit,
landing on the Billboard charts, and their tour dates sold out.
I asked if they'd do a song from the LP for Song Exploder, but here's guitarist Steve Holmes.
This is how unexpected that anyone would give a shit 15 years later.
We don't have the master tapes.
They don't exist.
After we recorded the actual album, we left them at the studio.
Can't find them.
Don't exist.
Probably lost or...
Thrown out.