Here's Everything We Know About Muse's New Album

Muse have been teasing their seventh album for almost a year now. Before their first Coachella headline set last year they told American radio station KROQ, “We’re going to go back in May and start working on some new stuff.” Since then we’ve been drip-fed information through Twitter Q&A’s, Instagram posts and one-off interviews.

There’s a lot of small pieces which will eventually make up the greater puzzle of the next Muse album. We’ve collected what we have so far to try and make sense of what Muse are concocting.

It’s called Drones

Last month, Muse shared an in-studio video on Instagram which contained an LCD screen on a mixing desk which read “Artist: Muse. Album: Drones.”

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The guys are looking super creepy right now

Muse followed up yesterday with Instagram posts of what appear to be scratched-out magazine covers from NME and Kerrang. One appears to read, “Muse on their daring new album: ‘If everyone slags us off, then fine!'”

All three members have blacked-out eyes, like something out of a horror film.

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They’re working with super producer Robert Lange

In October last year, Muse posted an Instagram with an old photo of producer Robert Lange with the caption “We are honoured to be making our new album with this legendary producer. #backinblack”, referring to the classic AC/DC album.

The legendary Canadian has cut records with everyone from AC/DC and Def Leppard, to The Cars, Bryan Adams and Maroon 5. Muse have made their AC/DC fandom apparent in the past: in 2010, when they headlined Big Day Out, they performed a cover of Back In Black with Nic Cester of Jet.

They’ve been recording in Vancouver and Milan

Judging by their Instagram, Muse have been doing some globe-trotting. In December, the British trio posted a video to Instagram of an orchestra captioned “Milan strings”. They posted another Instagram in December with the caption “Finished session late night in Vancouver…”

It’s rumoured that they’re recording the bulk of the album The Warehouse Studios, owned by Bryan Adams. AC/DC have recorded three of their albums, Rock Or Bust, Stiff Upper Lip and Black Ice, in the Vancouver studios, all of which featured production by Lange.

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It will be “heavy”, and deals with themes like World War III

On Twitter in July of last year Matt Bellamy responded to a fan who asked, “So, are you sticking to your ‘going back to guitar/drums/bass‘ or was that just Matt being a tease?” with “Yes, it’s gonna get heavy.”

In September in a Twitter Q&A, Bellamy added that the album will deal with themes of “deep ecology, the empathy gap and World War 3″. He also suggested that a sequel to Citizen Erased from their 2001 sophomore Origin Of Symmetry could appear on the new album.

UPDATE 07/02/15: Muse have shared the first taste of the new record’s big riffs via Facebook.

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Expect to hear new material when they headline the world’s biggest festivals

Muse are shaping up to be one of the biggest festival headliners of the year with the band announced to play Denmark’s Roskilde, Britain’s Download Festival, Portugal’s NOS Alive and Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival. They’re also the top pick to headline this year’s Glastonbury.

With the new album confirmed to be on the way it’s unlikely the band wouldn’t use the opportunity to road test some of the new material. Their last festival headline gig was at Coachella in 2014 before they began recording the new album.

While Fuji Rock Festival traditionally gives clues as to who will play Splendour In The Grass, it’s unlikely that Muse will headline the Aussie festival — they’re simply too big. They haven’t played a festival here since headlining Big Day Out in 2010, touring with their own headline tours since. We can dream, though.

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It will “definitely” be out this year

Rest assured, despite all the teasing, the album will be out this year. Drummer Dom Howard told interviewers in May last year, “If we can get something out this year, that would be great, but definitely next year.” Given that we got no new Muse material in 2014, 2015 is the year.

Gallery: Muse @ Allphones Arena, Sydney 13/12/2013 / Photos by Ashley Mar