Iconic ’80 Band Released an Album 35 Years Ago So ‘Horrible,’ They Broke Up

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Iconic ’80 Band Released an Album 35 Years Ago So ‘Horrible,’ They Broke Up originally appeared on Parade.

DEVOformed in the late 1970s, becoming instantly iconic thanks to their trademark energy domes, yellow jumpsuits, and provocative songs, including their punk reimagining ofThe Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." The group's use of synthesizers was New Wave before New Wave, and they'd help define the sound of the '80s with songs like "Girl U Want," "Freedom of Choice," and "Whip It."

But by the start of the '90s, the group was on its last legs. And the writing on the wall came with the release of their eighth album, Smooth Noodle Maps. It was so poorly received that afterward, DEVO went on hiatus and wouldn't release another album for twenty years.

Devo backstage at Max's Kansas City, New York, New York, November 15, 1977Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images

Smooth Noodle Maps was released in the summer of 1990, and it sounds like it. The production is mired in that early '90s sound, with the use of drum machines coming off very hollow. The songs lack hooks and exciting ideas. For a band known for predicting the future with its warnings of "de-evolution," Smooth Noodle Maps sounds dated. Worse, it's forgettable.

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"I know the public is going to hear this release and they're going to say, 'That's not DEVO,'" interviewer Dan Bailey said to DEVO's Mark Mothersbaugh in 1990, ahead of Smooth Noodle Maps's release.

"It's us!" replied Mothersbaugh. "Frightening as that might seem, it's the same guys doing what they do, probably worse, makin' albums."

When asked to describe Smooth Noodle Maps, Motehrsbaugh said DEVO was a "little less naïve on this record than we ever were before."

The album's title, Mothersbaugh explained, "refers to a mathematical term used to describe computer animation...using fractal mathematics to find order out of chaos. [Smooth Noodles] is sort of a Devo way of saying '[explicative] happens."

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Indeed, it did happen. Smooth Noodle Maps failed to chart anywhere. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau called it a dud, and Rolling Stonehas since dubbed it one of the "genuinely horrible albums by brilliant artists."

DEVO was already feeling dejected by the time that Smooth Noodle Maps came out. Six years prior, Warner had dropped DEVO. The band signed with Enigma, a smaller independent label, and released albums with diminishing returns. As of 2025, DEVO's albums on Enigma (Total Devo, Smooth Noodle Maps) aren't on Spotify.

"Around '88, '89, '90 maybe, we did our last tour in Europe, and it was kind of at that point," Mothersbaugh said in an interview, per Past Prime. "We were watching This Is Spinal Tap on the bus and said, 'Oh my God, that's our life.' And we just said, 'Things have to change.' So we kind of agreed from there that we wouldn't do live shows anymore."

DEVO and Fred Armisen attend SNL50: The Homecoming Concert at Radio City Music HallPhoto by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

So, DEVO broke up and the members went their separate ways. Mothersbaugh focused on his composing career. Gerald Casale became a successful music video director (he directed the Foo Fighters' "I'll Stick Around," for example).

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The hiatus didn't stick: DEVO reunited in 1996, playing sporadically throughout the years. They wouldn't release another album (Something For Everybody) until 2010, twenty years after Smooth Noodle Maps.

DEVO continues to play on their extended farewell tour. They also recently announced a series of joint shows with The B-52s.

Related: Legendary '60s Rock Band Released a Song 45 Years Ago That Led to Their Split

Iconic ’80 Band Released an Album 35 Years Ago So ‘Horrible,’ They Broke Up first appeared on Parade on Jul 1, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.