 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 " . 
