The opening title-track "Meltdown" is a political piece that channelled the sound of AC/DC and the Foo Fighters. Wheeler wrote it after witnessing a peace demonstration; Hatherley wrote the middle eight guitar riff. "Orpheus" switches between indie pop and heavy rock, while the verse sections see Wheeler employ 1970s metal guitar riffs. Wheeler said the lyrics were taken from Greek mythology, and talks about the death of his friend's mother. "Evil Eye" is a slower track with Wheeler and Hatherley trading vocals, and tells the story of a female . It features a backwards message that says "She's giving me the Evil Eye. Suck Satan's cock." Wheeler said "Clones" was about the homogenization of mankind, and "a rant about some person who’s let you down, a person you thought was different and they turn out to be the same as everyone else." The song has an instrumental break section that was influenced by Rage Against the Machine.