As Muse ramps up for the release of their latest album, The 2nd Law, they’re beginning to be more visible. The band has been strategic appearances including the 2012 London Olympics. One such appearance occurred yesterday when they performed “Madness,” the album’s first official single, live on British television.

Rather than debut the album with a harder rocking song, the threesome selected a rather unconventional ballad-esque slow-grower. “Madness” begins with as a personal effort by frontman Matt Bellamy and grows into a powerful crescendo. Bellamy is open about the track being his “favorite song that he’s ever written.”

“I wrote that song having a fight with my girlfriend,” confesses frontman Matt Bellamy in an interview with KROQ Los Angeles’ Stryker. “Nothing particularly over the top but just having one of those moments where she leaves you for the day to think about it. I rarely write songs that catharticly. All I had was a drum machine and a synthesizer so I just put this very minimal thing together.”

“I wasn’t quite sure it would work with the band but when we started the album I showed it to Dom and Chris and they loved it. They sort of took it to another level by adding these extra parts at the end and it became a much bigger song.”

“It’s a real surprise song for this album.”

The band took to the small screen last night for a performance of “Madness” on the Jools Holland television program on Britain’s BBC Two.

The 2nd Law is scheduled for released in the U.S. next Tuesday, October 2nd.

– Jay Tilles, CBS Local