In interviews, Casale described the situation as "a cocoon of silence" and his solo project Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers was an attempt to spawn new Devo material.
That same year, LA Weekly, in an article on lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh's production studio Mutato Muzika, reported that, "After touring sporadically over the past decade but not releasing any new material, Devo are spending December at Mutato trying to create an album's worth of new material and contemplating a method of dispersal in the post-record-company world.
[7] The "Studio Notes" section of the November 27 issue of Rolling Stone stated that "Devo are working on their first album of new material since 1990's Smooth Noodle Maps.
In an interview with Gerald Casale in late October 2009, he announced that Devo's new album would be picking up from where they left off: "We think it's the best record that we'd ever done although we're not certain that Fresh will be the title.
During this panel, a "focus group study" was conducted in which a total of four potential titles for the album were revealed: Fresh, Something for Everybody, Devolution and Excuse Our Mess.
[20] The video features an interactive 360° camera, which can be set on "auto pilot" or controlled by the viewer, allowing them to choose which part of the scenery to watch and to click on items to buy at the band's merchandise website.
[22] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone stated, "Combining the punk-funk fury of Devo's earliest recordings with synth pop, this ninth disc is frantic and wall-to-wall catchy", singling out "Human Rocket" as a highlight.
[27] Marc Masters of Pitchfork opined that while "The first few songs verge on self-parody [...] the rest of Something For Everybody contains some pretty good music--the kind that actually sneaks up on you a little rather than ham-fisting you over the head."
While he felt the lyrics were "rife with clichés", "dated politics" and "self-conscious Devo-isms", he added that "when the band is locked in sonically, those lines sound better than they read", and ultimately compared the album favorably to Oh, No!
[28] David Jeffries of AllMusic called the album a modern update of New Traditionalists (1981) combined with the hooks of Freedom of Choice (1980), comparing "Later Is Now" and "No Place Like Home" to the "sarcastic grandeur" of "Beautiful World".
Citing "Fresh" and "Don't Shoot" as further highlights, Jeffries ultimately concluded that the album was "proudly not a nostalgia trip and is, instead, filled with age-appropriate subversion, right up to its ironic title.
He selected "Fresh", "What We Do" and "Step Up" as highlights, but ultimately concluded the album was "an inconsistent world of quirk over content", noting that "their former sense of ironic fun seems to be slipping into bitterness.
"[24] Simon Price felt the album "exudes pure joy", adding, "The plantpot-headed sextet's comeback is the sound of bright brains having fun.
The following day of the press conference, the album was put up for pre-order through Club Devo with a different track listing than announced, noting that it was "88% focus group approved".
[33] Further confusing the issue is an article and interview published in the Los Angeles Times on May 18, in which Gerald Casale reiterates that the final album will consist of the 12 songs voted on by fans.
All tracks are written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, except where notedTo promote the album, Devo embarked on their longest album-supported tour ever, lasting for nine legs from February 2010 until June 2013, playing in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The last show took place on June 9, 2013, at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, featuring a one-off performance of an older song, "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth".