 Following the Performance 2007 tour in support of the band's previous album Year Zero (2007), Reznor set out to make a record "with very little forethought". Ghosts I – IV originated from an experiment: "The rules were as follows: 10 weeks, no clear agenda, no overthinking, everything driven by impulse. Whatever happens during that time gets released as ... something." Reznor explained, "I've been considering and wanting to make this kind of record for years, but by its very nature it wouldn 't have made sense until this point".
