There has always been a simmering political undertone to the music of Akron’s DEVO, an undertone that’s cynical and even a bit nihilistic. That’s unsurprising considering their roots in Kent, during the shooting of four students by the National Guard on May 4, 1070.
Band co-founder Gerald V. Casale was there that day; two of the students shot were his friend. It was shortly after that when he met Mark Mothersbaugh, and DEVO evolved from their combined ideas. DEVO has stayed active on and off in recent years, including its “Mutate Don’t Stagnate” tour earlier this year and a performance at the Coachella Festival in April.
Now Casale has release a new song and video called “Just Do It!” It has nothing to do with the Nike slogan, needless to say. While the sound echoes classic DEVO, it’s described as “not an exercise in nostalgia, but a response to the present.” The clever animated video, directed by Maurizio Teporin with animation by , features a familiar “Trumpolini” character surrounded by gold and drenched in blood as he commands his MAGA army, and his mentor Jeffrey Epstein beams down as the sun.
“Just Do It! celebrates 250 years of our defeat of Tyranny in an age of Tyranny reborn,” says Casale.
You can watch the video here.