Emo legends American Football have been immortalized through their meme-ified “Never Meant” guitar riff and the famous artwork for their iconic self-titled album.
If you don’t know the album artwork, it’s a photograph of a house — a recurring image in emo, perhaps to symbolize the inherent intimacy and nostalgia of the genre — in Illinois. Many fans have traveled to take pictures with it, though there’s nothing physically remarkable about it otherwise. However, the band took to Twitter today to share that they heard it was going to be sold. They teamed up with their label Polyvinyl and others to buy the house.
They shared a statement about the purchase, so check that out below.
“Last fall we received word that 704 W High Street in Urbana might be sold soon. Shortly thereafter American Football, Polyvinyl, Chris Strong, Atiba Jefferson, and Open House Contemporary made a pact: we’d all buy the house together before developers could demolish it and build a condo.
Today, with sincere joy, we are excited to share that we have collectively purchased The American Football House in an effort to preserve its place and legacy within the community that built it.
Here’s to keeping this landmark alive for many more years to come.”
— American Football (@americfootball) May 5, 2023
