I have gotten a few inquiries to elaborate on the art for the AFAF NFT. So this is that. (a thread)

Since UM began recording Asking For A Friend over two years ago, I’ve found myself particularly moved by this batch of songs and the poignancy of the lyrics. Everything we’ve collectively gone through these last couple years has things landing harder.

As we dug into design for the vinyl editions and explored the handwritten lyrics, layers of the meaning onion kept getting peeled back. I felt there was more to be done here than simply including them on the LP sleeve. But like so many beginnings, it started without a destination in mind.

I started digging through a hard drive of album imagery that we had compiled along the way, searching for ideas to marry lyrics with eye candy.

We had a number of great images including a handful of unused photos from Barry Butler, the iconic Chicago photographer that shot the cover. (We had Barry on a wild goose chase trying to capture some initial cover ideas but that’s a story for another post.)

I started laying out lyrics and pairing them to imagery that resonated with me for one reason or another. Sometimes it was a single lyric, sometimes the entire song. Initially the thought was it would only be a few songs but here we are, 14 tracks later.

Add in Barry’s original (and brilliant) “Periscope Up” shot to round out the 16-square collage and we’ve got the AFAF NFT art.

More to come on the backstory for each individual image. The (likely) plan is to make each one available separately should you want to collect to pair with your favorite tune. Thanks for indulging me and I hope you enjoy even a fraction as much as I enjoyed making them.

afaf.io

Thanks to Barry Butler, SebArte, Justin Santora, Jeremy Welsh, Kevin Rose, and Proof / Moonbirds for the content, design and/or inspiration.