Nine Inch Nails & Boys Noize: Nine Inch Noize
Trent Reznor is no stranger to electronics, employing the traditions of German industrial and EBM since his debut as Nine Inch Nails, 1989’s ‘Pretty Hate Machine’. Since then, he has worked with or been remixed by countless stalwarts of the electronic music sphere, including Aphex Twin, Coil, Telefon Tel Aviv, New Order, Tobacco, Mark Pritchard, Danny L Harle and Arca – to name a few. Now, having collaborated with German techno producer Alex Ridha, aka Boys Noize, on the Tron: Ares soundtrack in 2025, the duo continue their partnership. Reznor and Ridha have released an eponymous album as Nine Inch Noize, which lines up with the setlist from their electrifying Coachella performance, and features Reznor’s wife and How To Destroy Angels bandmate, Mariqueen Maandig, on backing vocals.
The album, which was partially recorded live during their Coachella set, presents a surprising array of deep cuts, along with a few classics like ‘Heresy’ and ‘Closer’, both from 1994’s ‘The Downward Spiral’. Apart from those two and ‘Memorabilia’, which was originally released on the ‘Closer To God’ companion EP, the song selections lean towards Nine Inch Nails’ more recent output.There are three tracks from 2007’s ‘Year Zero’, two from 2013’s ‘Hesitation Marks’, one from 2016’s ‘Not The Actual Events’EP and the album closes with the single from the Tron: Aressoundtrack, released just last year. There is also an HtDA track from their eponymous debut EP.
Hearing these songs in new arrangements really put a focus on the lyrics for me. Lyrics in general tend to be one of the last things I notice in a song, as my ear focuses on instrumentation, arrangement, melody and production. Given the meticulous care and detail that Reznor gives to every aspect of every song he creates, his lyrics have flown under my radar for the entire time I’ve been listening to his music (which has been pretty much my entire life)! The tracks from ‘Year Zero’ feel particularly deliberately chosen to resonate in the current political climate in the US, and they seem to have an even sharper edge with Boys Noize’s signature buzzsaw synths and chest-rattling drums behind the wheel. Even ‘Closer’, despite being a mostly electronic song to begin with, sounds more visceral and sinister with the updated production.
The recorded crowd noise also helps to infuse the album with life and energy. This isn’t a live album per se, and the crowd noise isn’t persistent throughout the album, but it is strategically placed to provide transitions between songs and to make the listener feel like a part of the show. I have seen both Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize live (separately) and in listening to this album, I can fully picture the performance and truly place myself in the crowd. The intensity of the music is palpable through the stereo, making it nearly impossible not to get caught up in dancing or headbanging.
These arrangements feel less like remixes and more like genuine collaborative reworkings. Boys Noize has done more than just deconstruct what already existed, he has created entirely new environments for Reznor’s vocals and lyrics to inhabit. Any one of these songs can stand on its own as an alternate version, but the album is best experienced front-to-back in one sitting. The tracks are sequenced for optimal energetic and sonic effect and it’s very fun to let your imagination run and visualize the show for yourself as you listen along. This collaboration is likely to create new fans for all the artists involved, and it certainly makes me want to revisit all of their catalogs with fresh ears.