Trent Reznor Announces the Return of Nine Inch Nails

On March 5, Columbia Records will be releasing the debut album from How to destroy angels_, the acclaimed experimental band consisting of Trent Reznor, his frequent collaborators Atticus Ross and Rob Sheridan, and his wife Mariqueen Maandig. Reznor has been a busy man over the past several years with this project as well as he and Ross’s film scoring for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the former of which won an Oscar for Best Original Score. However, despite his steady output of music into the world, there is one thing that fans of the master-of-all-musical-trades have been missing: Nine Inch Nails. It’s been over four years since the band hit the stage on the ‘Wave Goodbye’ tour, and nearly five years since any new NIN music has been released. But luckily for us, Reznor has decided that 2013 will mark a return for his beloved project. For 24 years, he’s been the face and sole creative force behind the pioneering industrial rock outfit and has had many different musicians perform with him along the way. This year, the lineup is new and intriguing; Eric Avery of Jane’s Addiction, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Josh Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv, and returning NIN affiliates Alessandro Cortini and Ilan Rubin will join Reznor on stage this year. Although there is no official word as to whether or not we will get new music soon, in the letter below from the man himself, it seems like he is hard at work in the studio. Regardless, concert dates are planned to begin this summer—one is rumored to be an appearance at Lollapalooza—and will be running through 2014. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development.

Nine Inch Nails are touring this year.

I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas, which led to some discussion on performing, which led to some beard-scratching, which (many steps later) led to the decision to re-think the idea of what Nine Inch Nails could be, and the idea of playing a show. Calls were made to some friends, lots of new ideas were discussed, and a show was booked – which led to another, which somehow led to a lot of shows.

The band is reinventing itself from scratch and will be comprised of Eric Avery, Adrian Belew, Alessandro Cortini, Josh Eustis, Ilan Rubin, and me. The first shows will begin this summer, followed by a full-on arena tour of the US this fall, and lots of other dates worldwide to follow through 2014.

Lots of details and dates to come. See you soon.

TR