On October 2, 2010, Vanessa Carlton tweeted that she had completed her fourth studio album.No time frame for release was given. In February 2011, a video was posted to Carlton's official website. In the video, she explained the process for producing her album, and stated that she questioned whether or not she would make another record, as she had been experimenting with writing film scores. She further explained that after deciding to produce another record, Carlton felt she needed to create the ideal environment in order to produce what she felt was the perfect album. 　　She said that she wanted to capture a dreamy, fantastical sound with 'Rabbits on the Run,' a title and concept inspired by books like Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, and Richard Adams's Watership Down. In order to achieve that sound, Carlton recorded the album direct to tape and recruited a tight-knit team of collaborators, which included producer Steve Osborne. She also enlisted the help of a children's choir, saying that some of her melodies were "just built" for choral arrangements. On March 1, 2011, the release date for the album was given, as well as an announcement that Carlton had signed with Razor & Tie. 　　On April 3, it was announced via Twitter that "Carousel" had been selected to be the first single from the new album.[7] Razor & Tie later announced that the single would be released digitally on May 3.