A lot goes into an album like Muse 's Simulation Theory . The new record takes influence from a variety of sources, and according to drummer Dominic Howard , three of those sources are classic sci-fi horror movies, Paul McCartney , and Harry Potter .
As Howard tells ABC Radio, while the British trio was recording Simulation Theory , movies like 1982's The Thing would be playing in the background, which influenced the music's direction.
"It was like, 'Yeah, we want the bassline to...sound like that scene in The Thing ,' or 'We want this part to sound like the alien coming out of the guy's stomach in Alien ,'" Howard remembers. "We just took a lot of movie references, and I suppose they influenced the sound of parts of the tracks."
Sir Paul's contribution came during the swinging single "Pressure," which Howard says was influenced by frontman Matt Bellamy 's Beatles cover band side project.
"Matt was...studying a lot of Paul McCartney's basslines, and showing me," Howard explains. "[He] was like, 'Yeah, I mean, they're so intricate, and there's so much going on that you maybe don't initially notice.' So I think that song has got a bit of a Beatles, Paul McCartney-bass influence on it."
As for the Boy Who Lived, Bellamy gave him a shout-out on the song "Propaganda," which features a line about the evil Death Eaters. While Bellamy is a big Potter fan, Howard says he's never read any of the books or seen the movies.
"[Bellamy's] quite into it, and chucked that line in," Howard says. "I thought it was funny that he did, 'cause I had to ask."
"I was like, 'What the f***'s a Death Eater?'" he remembers. "And then found out it was Potter."
Simulation Theory is out now.
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