Drones

After experimenting with lush electronic and orchestral arrangements on their previous two albums, Muse’s seventh studio album is a return to their basics. It is a loose concept album based on one person’s struggle in a dystopian society controlled by robotics and drones. Themes include mind control, revolution, love (or lack thereof), militarisation, governments and more. Singer Matt Bellamy said if there was one take-home message for listeners it would be:

The power of an individual can overcome a complex system, a corrupt corporation, a corrupt government or technology as a whole stripping out humanity; That there’s something inside of us that can overcome that, even just in one person"

He also explained the album’s rough narrative to BBC Radio’s Annie Mac:

The first song is about a person that loses hope and kind of becomes vulnerable to the darker forces and drawn into military brainwashing, and then on songs after that, just sort of battling the dark forces that are trying to control our minds and everything…Then eventually you get to songs like “Revolt” and “Defector” where the person fights back and really takes control of themselves, then “Aftermath” is a kind of rekindling with love type of situation.

This album won a Grammy at The 58th Grammy Awards for “Best Rock Album of The Year”.