American Football Cures SiriusXM

Madison Clarke 10/08/2026

American Football (photo: Alexa Viscius).

American Football recently took a soulful detour, paying tribute to the formative influence of The Cure by recording a cover of the 1979 classic Boys Don’t Cry. This summer session, held in Nashville for a SiriusXMU collaboration, proved that classic influences remain potent, even for a band celebrated for their unique sound.

The session wasn’t just a simple cover; it was an immersive musical journey. In addition to the requested track, the session included a brief, playful nod to American Football’s own “Never Meant” intro, and drummer Steve Lamos added a tasteful trumpet contribution, adding another layer of texture to the arrangement.

Beyond the main tribute, the session expanded to include other tracks from the band’s acclaimed 2026 Polyvinyl album LP4, specifically “Wake Her Up” and “No Feeling,” alongside “Uncomfortably Numb” from their predecessor, LP3.

The connection between the band and The Cure runs deep. In a lengthy conversation ahead of the LP4 release, Mike Kinsella and his cousin, Nate Kinsella, openly discussed The Cure’s impact on their creative process. They noted how the band embodies the human condition—the ability to contain opposites—mirroring the duality found in bands like The Cure.

Kinsella recalled seeing The Cure live and being struck by how fresh and relevant the energy felt, noting that seeing them made him feel less self-conscious about being older musicians trying to keep a legacy alive. He found an element of timelessness and current relevance in the band.

Looking ahead, American Football is currently winding down their LP4 roadwork, planning four shows in South America and eight stops across the East Coast before a finale in Buffalo, New York.

When asked about the band’s future, Nate Kinsella indicated a more relaxed approach for 2027, but the intention remains to keep playing. While there are murmurs of new material in the works, the band is focusing on thoughtfully planning the creative process before putting anything new on the calendar.