This article was originally published in my weekly music Substack Newsletter, Bian's Studio. Subscribe here.

Few months ago I stumbled upon a Reddit thread that led to one of my favorite discoveries on the internet. A post was made in a music subreddit asking recommendations for songs “that sound like late night train ride” or something along those lines. Someone replied it by linking the track Never Meant by American Football, and I gave it a listen right away. It was the moment I discovered Midwest emo.

The most memorable part of the song to me is the guitar riff that opens up at the beginning and repeats throughout the entire four minutes and a half duration of the track. It isn’t melodically complex — the riff begins with the tonic C, jumps down to dominant G, then completes the Major scale as it ascends. It stays entirely tonal within the key and repeats the same lines over and over, yet interestingly the underlying chords shift, from F Major, to G, then to A minor. Overall, the song gives a comfortable, familiar, and even a nostalgic feeling. Perhaps it’s the fact that it uses simple chord progressions that resolves to a key of C, a tune most familiar to our ears. The only unconventional element is the time signature — a 6 / 4 — which brings uniqueness to the piece. (Later, I did found out that Math rock / Midwest emo genres typically involve use of unconventional time signatures). But all in all, I found the song hauntingly beautiful.

Upon seeing praises and heartfelt words from what appeared to be a dedicated fanbase in the comments section, I felt compelled to learn more about the band - I had missed out on their music. American Football was a band formed by students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who first released a self-titled debut album back in 1999, only to disband shortly. Despite the initial lack of commercial success, their release consistently drew in indie fans until it became a celebrated classics in their genre and throughout time the band gained cult-like following. What was more fascinating was that they got back together 15 years later, after more than a decade of separate independent careers, and released their second album in 2016 (again eponymous) two years after their reformation.

The story of college students putting music out for the first time, then becoming the very icons of their genres few years down the line (while influencing so many other new artists and sounds) is truly inspiring. All musicians wonder whether their next release will come to be a classic, or if it will simply get buried along with the rest of their catalogues, never to be appreciated by a listener. The latter is often the case, unfortunately, but the belief in potential is what keeps every musician going.

As I listened through American Football’s records, I could understand how their music stood out in the underground indie scene. The heavy instrumentation with acoustic & electric guitars, coupled with vocals containing emotional and confessing lyrics, were fresh and addictive in many ways. Personally, what I liked the most about their music first was the “low-key” nature of singing. Most music would center the track around vocals and establish the instrumentals as merely an accompaniment. Yet, the band was careful not to "overdo” their vocals but simply use them as complimentary sound to the instrumentation. Lot of the actual melodies were found instead in guitar riffs that looped throughout the track. Even in one of their performance videos of Never Meant, the fans were humming along the guitar riffs in Bridges section.

The way their songs are titled also seemingly match the emotional, and reflective lyrical contents: Titles like I’ll See You When We’re Both Not So Emotional and My Instincts Are the Enemy are definitely very indie.

Somehow, I think the music resonates well with the adolescence stage in life. The mixed feelings of isolation, liberation, bittersweetness, and youthfulness are all there. I don’t think the Midwest emo is “sad”, but only comforting and laid-back. The music seems very fitting for early morning walk around the campus, or on your way returning back to dorm after a long day of work. I’ll definitely associate American Football with my freshman year of college.

By now I have listened through their entire discography (which isn’t long), and I’m immensely glad that I discovered their music. At one point, I was only writing indie tracks for a while — like this one.

The way I discovered the world of Midwest emo, purely by chance, is a reminder that there is endless world of great music out there, yet to be heard.