Compliance

"Compliance" is a song by British rock band Muse. It was released as a single on 17 March 2022 as the second single from Will of the People, their ninth studio album. Release "Compliance" was announced through Muse's social media channels on 11 March 2022, alongside a cryptic short video featuring a quote which explains the backstory of the song, which read as follows: Additional social media posts were published on 16 March, the day before the release of "Compliance", confirming that both "Compliance" and previously released single "Won't Stand Down" will feature on Muse's upcoming ninth studio album, Will of the People. Writing and composition Lyrically, "Compliance" is an anti-establishment protest song, in common with previous Muse songs such as "Uprising". It features themes of oppression of the people, delivered from the perspective of the oppressor; lyrics such as "we have what you need, just reach out and touch" and "you will feel no pain any more" are an attempt to gaslight the population into accepting their oppressed state as being better than any alternative scenario. "Compliance" was released less than a month after the commencement of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the lyrics highlight the plight of the Ukrainian people by exposing Russia's perspective of the conflict; songwriter Matt Bellamy stated that, among other themes, the song references "new wars in Europe".