Mitch Easter gained some fame in the early '80s as R.E.M.'s producer, but the multi-talented North Carolinian had some musical statements of his own to make with Let's Active. Like R.E.M., they updated the jangly guitar sound of the Byrds for the new wave era. Let's Active released their debut EP, Afoot, in 1983, showcasing Easter's gentle but insistent pop tunes. The personnel changed drastically over the next couple of years, but Easter remained at the center, releasing three albums during the rest of the '80s before ceasing operations around the end of the decade.