Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor sat down with BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe on Monday afternoon to discuss the band’s new album Hesitation Marks, as well as his mindset going into the recording process and the new live show. He also debuted a new track from the album, an unexpectedly bright pop-beat jam called “Everything.” It’s a surprising sound from the notoriously dark & melancholy outfit, and an exciting promise of what’s to come when Hesitation Marks arrives on Sept. 3. Listen here:
Choice quotes from the interview can be found below.
On the new Nine Inch Nails live show:
“We’ve been building this pretty elaborate show based on this environment you come into that we’ve created. Something you haven’t seen yet.”
“Generally rock shows can be pretty lazy… why not try to make it the coolest thing you can?”
Talking Heads’ concert film Stop Making Sense was a major influence on the stage setup and presentation for the new show. Remain In Light “confounded me.. I couldn’t make sense of it… I couldn’t figure out what I was hearing.” But still, upon repeat listens it opened his mind to the possibilities of what music could be.
On the recording process for Hesitation Marks:
“Took a lot longer than we thought… in a good way. A really interesting process. Fun and hard at the same time.”
“There came a point where we were really questioning… do these just sound like demos? Or finished tracks? We wound up with a record that the three of us felt very positive, very confident was a well-written step forward.”
On the electronic lean on the new material:
“Getting away from expansive instrumental works, trying to think in terms of concise songwriting. Melodies, lyrics, message.”
“Working off a laptop… I was much more excited about things with a rhythmic element to it. So everything started as demos on Beatbox. Another rule appeared: I felt like I needed to try to keep it as sparse as possible. Which is a fairly new concept. Try to put in only what has to be there.”
“My fear is I never want to rely on nostalgia. I never want to be too self-referential. When that moment comes when it feels like that, then it’s time to stop this. It’s time to do something different.”
Check out the full tracklist, artwork and list of guests for Hesitation Marks.
Photo: Johnny Firecloud
Nine Inch Nails: Outside Lands 2013
Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny FirecloudPhoto by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
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Outside Lands 2013: Nine Inch Nails
Photo by Johnny Firecloud
