Coldplay had stated on several occasions, long before the release, that they wanted the album to be "more acoustic" and "more intimate" than its predecessor, 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.
The album's artworks were revealed on 12 August 2011,[REF] inspired on graffiti the band worked again with longtime collaborators Tappin Gofton and, this time, also with British street artist, Paris.