“Boys Don’t Cry” by American Football

Is anyone here surprised that American Football might be influenced by The Cure? Although the midwest emo icons’ brand of jazz-and-minimalism-inflected indie rock doesn’t sound much like the goth titans, there’s no denying that Robert Smith’s plaintive cries resound throughout Mike Kinsella et al.‘s heartfelt music.

Thus, it makes perfect sense for American Football to serve up an acoustic cover of “Boys Don’t Cry” during a recent trip to the SiriusXM studios. But it becomes a little something more than just a cover when the band starts weaving in some strains from “Never Meant,” arguably their signature tune, and the two songs meld perfectly. And as for that pensive trumpet solo, well, it’s just the icing on the cake.

In a statement to Pitchfork, Kinsella had this to say about their performance: “The Cure, and specifically ‘Boys Don’t Cry,’ has not only been fundamental to my growth as a songwriter but as much or more so on my development as a man. It just seemed like the perfect fit for a bunch of melodically driven, emotionally available grown men to deconstruct and try to make our own.”

American Football are currently on tour in support of their latest album, American Football (LP4), which was released this past May.