Nine Inch Nails have made their long-awaited return with “As Alive as You Need Me to Be”, their first original release in five years.
The industrial rock pioneers have unveiled the new track as part of the 24-track soundtrack they’ve composed for the upcoming sci-fi film, Tron: Ares.
The cinematic track marks a significant moment for fans who have been waiting patiently since the band’s last release, the Ghosts album series in 2020. While the band have been relatively quiet in recent years, core members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have remained prolific behind the scenes, focusing on their acclaimed film composition work.
They’ve been steadily building their reputation as premier film composers, having already won Oscars for their work on The Social Network and Soul. Their recent projects include creating soundtracks for Luca Guadagnino’s Queer and the tennis drama Challengers, as well as composing for Apple TV+’s The Gorge. However, these projects were credited to Reznor and Ross as individuals rather than under the Nine Inch Nails moniker.
The Tron: Ares soundtrack follows in the footsteps of the 2010 film Tron: Legacy, which featured a memorable electronic score by Daft Punk. The new film, scheduled for release in October, explores the theme of humans encountering artificial intelligence beings for the first time – a concept that aligns well with Nine Inch Nails’ technological and dystopian aesthetic.
The soundtrack will be released on September 19th, ahead of the film’s October premiere, giving fans a chance to immerse themselves in the band’s latest sonic landscape before experiencing it alongside the visuals.
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The new release coincides with Nine Inch Nails’ return to live performances. Last month, the band kicked off their ‘Peel It Back Tour’, their first tour in three years. The setlist has thrilled longtime fans by including songs that haven’t been performed live in a decade or more. Reznor delivered a solo piano rendition of “Right Where It Belongs” for the first time since 2009, while the full band revived tracks like “Ruiner” and “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)” after a 16-year absence from their live shows.
