[2] It marks the band's second studio album to be recorded under its current incarnation (Gavin Rossdale, Robin Goodridge, Chris Traynor, Corey Britz), which reformed in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus and released The Sea of Memories in 2011.

The band spent two years touring in support of their previous album, The Sea of Memories, before returning to the studio in 2013 to record new music.

Singer-guitarist Gavin Rossdale wrote most of Man on the Run at his home studio in Los Angeles.

Music published on 19 August 2014, Rossdale described the writing process for the album: "They say the hardest thing for a writer is putting yourself in a seat to do it.

It's that moment in Ibiza where 10,000 people lift their hands up in the air and lose themselves in the music, that whole push-pull crowd control thing that I was really interested in capturing on this (album).

"[4] While recording, the band combined futuristic sounds using modern studio technology while having a "garage mentality", using pawn-shop guitars and old amplifiers.

[4] Rossdale says he wrote about 30 songs for the album, many of which he is excited about, and states: "There easily is another record ready to go, so maybe something will come out sooner.

[9] Stephen Thomas Erlewine opined that Man on the Run had a "modern glint" to the music, and incorporated "burbling electronics" and sporadic drum-looping.

The songs, a studio version of The Beatles' "Come Together" and previously unreleased "Letting The Cables Sleep [Rooftop Live]", will not be on the album.

In a two and a half out of five star review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the album's songs "some of Rossdale's strongest melodies in quite some time.