Year One Demos

Year One Demos is a 2019 EP from American emo and math rock band American Football. The recordings were made by drummer Steve Lamos' father shortly after the band formed and were rediscovered several years later; the EP was released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the band's full-length, self-titled debut album.

Reception
Writing for Pitchfork Media, Nina Corcoran scored this release a 7.6 out of 10, writing that the "demos succeed at where finished recordings fail is their ability to convey the warmth of an idea’s spark". Kevin Korber of Spectrum Culture also gave a positive review, writing that "hearing Year One Demos in this context is kind of revelatory" for giving insight to the band's early evolution as a musical project and summing up the release as "an essential listen for die-hard fans of the band" that is "more substantial than its length or its status as a collection of demos would suggest".

Track listing

 * 1) "Five Silent Miles" (Demo) – 4:18
 * 2) "Song #1" / "Song #2"" (Demo) – 6:41
 * 3) "The Summer Ends" (Demo) – 4:47
 * 4) "For Sure" (Demo) – 4:01

Personnel
American Football
 * Steve Holmes – guitar, liner notes
 * Mike Kinsella – guitar on "Five Silent Miles" (Demo), "Song #1" / "Song #2" (Demo), and "The Summer Ends" (Demo); vocals; bass guitar on "For Sure" (Demo)
 * Steve Lamos – drums, drum machine on "For Sure" (Demo), trumpet on "Song #1" / "Song #2" (Demo) and "For Sure" (Demo)

Additional personnel
 * Steve Fallone – mastering at Sterling Sound
 * Jerrod Landon Porter – layout
 * Max Stern – cover
 * Mitchell Wojcik – photography