Photo: Ian Abbott, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
DEVO started in Akron, Ohio, as a group of art students who believed humanity was moving backwards, and they built a whole look and sound around the idea of de-evolution. Their jittery, mechanical rock and deadpan humour made them one of the strangest groups to crack the mainstream, with "Whip It" becoming a surprise hit in 1980. Their mix of sarcasm, synths, and rigid rhythm went on to shape new wave, alternative rock, and generations of oddballs with guitars and keyboards.
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Freedom of Choice (1980). It's their best-known album, home to "Whip It" and "Girl U Want," and it captures the shift from herky-jerky guitar rock to the synth-driven sound they'd keep chasing.
Biography
Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (vocalist Mark and lead guitarist Bob) and the Casales (bassist Gerald and rhythm guitarist Bob), along with drummer Alan Myers. While the band is best known for their 1980 single "Whip It," their only top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, they continue to have a loyal following.
Devo's music and visual presentation (including stage shows and costumes) mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor and mordantly satirical social commentary. The band's namesake, the tongue-in-cheek social theory of "de-evolution", was an integral concept in their early work, which was marked by experimental and dissonant art punk that merged rock music with electronics. Their output in the 1980s embraced synth-pop and a more mainstream, less conceptual style, though the band's satirical and quirky humor remained intact. Their music has proven influential on subsequent movements, particularly on new wave, industrial, and alternative rock artists, as well as an internet microgenre originally known as "devo-core".
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Studio albums
Discography
Official studio albums and EPs.
- 2026DevoweenEP
- 2010Something for EverybodyAlbum
- 1998Total DevoAlbum
- 1990Smooth Noodle MapsAlbum
- 1984ShoutAlbum
- 1982Oh, No! It’s DEVOAlbum
- 1981New TraditionalistsAlbum
- 1980Freedom of ChoiceAlbum
- 1979Duty Now for the FutureAlbum
- 1978Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!Album
- 1978Mechanical ManEP
- 1978B StiffEP
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