 Green Day began to record material for the albums ¡ Uno ! , ¡ Dos ! and ¡ Tré ! on February 14 , 2012 . During the sessions , Mike Dirnt asked the frontman Billie Joe Armstrong to write a song with a " four @-@ on @-@ the @-@ floor " rhythm . After the release of " Oh Love " , the lead single from the album trilogy on July 16 , 2012 , the band revealed the artwork of " Kill the DJ " during a press release on July 30 , 2012 . The band performed the song eight days ahead of its release at a secret show held at the Echoplex on August 6 , 2012 . 
