On 12 July 2010 bassist Chris Wolstenholme told NME magazine that the band would be taking a break after their world tour supporting The Resistance ended. He also stated that the band would begin working for a new album. He said the new album would be released in 2011. On 8 September, frontman Matthew Bellamy, in an interview with NME, said that the music for the band's next studio album would be more "personal". He said it would be better to use smaller venues to perform those songs live.