LIVING THINGS is the fifth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released under Warner Bros. Records and Machine Shop Records on June 20, 2012, in Japan, and throughout the rest of the world during the following week. Production was handled by vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, who both co-produced the band’s previous two studio albums, Minutes to Midnight (2007) and A Thousand Suns (2010). Living Things was their last album to be produced by Rubin and recorded at NRG Recording Studios. The band stated that Living Things combines elements from their previous four studio albums to create a new sound. They stated they finally felt they were in “familiar territory” and “comfortable in their own skin” after years of experimentation that resulted in their two previous studio albums, Minutes to Midnight and A Thousand Suns. Living Things was chosen as the album’s title because of the numerous personal topics on the album.