The band started writing songs for the album towards the end of summer 2008, with lead singer Alex Turner suggesting that the inspiration for the first few guitar riffs came while the band were attending the Latitude Festival in Suffolk.
Band ini mulai menulis lagu untuk album menjelang akhir musim panas 2008, dengan vokalis Alex Turner menunjukkan bahwa inspirasi untuk beberapa riff gitar pertama datang saat band sedang menghadiri Festival Latitude di Suffolk.