While the first new Nine Inch Nails material in years emerged as part of the soundtrack to the Disney film ‘Tron: Ares‘ this year, work on the band’s follow-up to their pair of ‘Ghosts‘ releases in 2020 continues. In a recent conversation with Consequence, vocalist, etc. Trent Reznor relayed the following of where the multi-platinum industrial metal outfit are are at now:
“We are working on new stuff and we’re excited to work on it, and we are prioritizing working on Nine Inch Nails over just taking on every single thing that comes up in the other category. So, beyond that, I can’t say much, but the difference between now and a year ago is the fuse has been lit and the desire is there.”
To hear that the proverbial creative fires have been reignited is a welcome development for long-time fans of the Rock & Roll Hall Famers, especially given Reznor‘s comments back in 2024. With Reznor and his NIN compatriot Atticus Ross having spent the better part of the past decade building up a critically lauded career in scoring film and TV, the future didn’t exactly look certain for the group.
Speaking with producer Rick Rubin in the latter months of 2024, Reznor lamented how music has taken on more of a background role as other mediums and formats compete for people’s attention. He stated of that:
“In the context of Nine Inch Nails, in terms of an audience and the culture, the importance of music — or lack of importance of music — in today’s world, from my perspective, is a little defeating. It feels to me, in general — and I’m saying this as a 57-year-old man — music used to be the thing that, that was what I was doing when I had time. I was listening to music. I wasn’t doing it in the background while I was doing five other things, and I wasn’t treating it kind of as a disposable commodity.”
He added:
“I kind of miss the attention music got, I miss the critical attention that music got. Not that I am interested in the critic’s opinion, but to send something out in the world and feel like it touched places, might’ve got a negative or positive [review], but somebody heard it, it got validated in its own way culturally.
Culturally, that feels askew. Like I can’t think of any review I care about today that I even trust. I could write it before it comes out because it’s already written. In fact, ChatGPT could probably do a better job, you know? Or is currently doing the job.
That makes for what I feel is a less fertile environment to put music out into — in the world of Nine Inch Nails.”
While the group’s return to the road and the studio this year reinvigorated them, that sentiment Reznor expressed still lingers to an extent. Speaking of undertaking that creatively staged new tour, which plays out across two separate stages with all the bells and whistles you’d come to expect from a NIN show, Reznor stated that his reluctance to bring the band back out on the road over the pat few years stemmed from wanting to, “treat Nine Inch Nails with reverence and respect, versus it being a means of paying bills and an obligation.”
He went on to say:
“I think the role of music in terms of a soundtrack and a blueprint of figuring out who one is feels like it’s changed from when I was young… It’s shifted into something that’s less understandable to me and less respected in a lot of ways. I didn’t want Nine Inch Nails to feel that way — but I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of a tour. It’s mentally and physically exhausting.”
Luckily for the band and the fans, an introduction with Todd Tourso, who has served as the creative director for this year’s ‘Peel It Back Tour‘, brought Reznor back onboard with touring, providing him with a creatively interesting way to return to the stage. You can read more on that over at Consequence.
A new leg of that ‘Peel It Back Tour‘ will launch in February of next year, with NIN once again heading out with Boys Noize across North America.
02/05 New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
02/07 Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
02/10 Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
02/11 Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
02/13 Boston, MA – TD Garden
02/14 Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
02/16 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
02/18 Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum
02/20 Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
02/22 Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
02/23 Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
02/25 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
02/27 Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
03/01 Austin, TX – Moody Center
03/03 Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
03/06 Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
03/07 Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
03/09 San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena
03/10 Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
03/13 Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
03/15 San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
03/16 Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
