''Afoot'' is the debut six-song EP by the American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Let's Active Let's Active was an American rock music, rock group formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1981, and often identified with the jangle pop guitar work of the group's frontman and songwriter Mitch Easter. After disbanding in 1990, the group re ...

, first released in 1983 by

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...

Recording

The music on ''Afoot'' was recorded from June 1982 through March 1983. Recording was done at bandleader Mitch Easter's home recording studio, Drive-In Studio in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

. The songs were presented as a demo to I.R.S., who quickly signed the band. The six songs were packaged as a mini album debut for the band and released in 12" vinyl EP format in late 1983.

Track listing

All six songs were composed by Mitch Easter: #"Every Word Means No" – 2:57 #"Make Up with Me" – 3:40 #"Edge of the World" – 4:00 #"Room with a View" – 3:48 #"In Between" – 3:55 #"Leader of Men" – 4:22

Personnel

Let's Active: * Mitch Easter – Guitar, vocals *Faye Hunter – Bass, vocals *Sara Romweber – Drums

Production

Easter produced all six tracks at Drive-In Studio. Scott Litt provided assistance with mixing. Bassist Faye Hunter painted the

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...

, musician/friend Richard Barone contributed additional photography, and the album design was credited to Carl Grasso.

Reception

Although it sold only modestly, the EP was a prominent critical success. ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' described the record as giving "new meaning to such overused pop adjectives as crisp, bright and ringing". In a particularly effusive retrospective review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

said "the entire EP is simply flawless" and called all six songs "brilliantly catchy". ''Afoot'' was a major hit on college radio stations in late 1983–early 84. The opening track, "Every Word Means No", was particularly popular, and came to be regarded as a

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

for the group. In the late 1990s it was covered by

Smash Mouth Smash Mouth is an American Rock music, rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994 and was originally composed of Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). Harwell's ...

and featured on the '' Friends Again'' soundtrack (1999). It lent its name (partially) to the multi-band compilation ''Every Word: A Tribute to Let's Active'' (2003), and continues to endure as "a mainstay of '80s pop retrospectives". ''Afoot'' was followed by the full-length album ''Cypress'' in 1984, and the two were combined in a single CD release in June 1989. This CD included two extra tracks, "Two Yous" and "Grey Scale," which had been available previously only on the UK vinyl release of ''Cypress''.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1983 debut EPs I.R.S. Records EPs Jangle pop EPs Let's Active albums