Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor was asked in a new Yahoo interview if NIN’s new music is a reaction to the rise of President-elect Donald Trump.
Rezone said, “Certainly, yes. I think that it’s not a reaction to Donald Trump, because most of this had been done before that had been officially confirmed. But the climate that had set the stage for such a thing to happen certainly was an inspiration for the sense of disconnected self that permeates the EP. The rage was not a result of Donald Trump winning the election. That had been building over the last year or so of working on that EP that I think absolutely has to do with the barrage of information we constantly are living in. In these confused times when the walls don’t feel as solid as they used to.”
He was asked if political instability could lead to some great music being created. Rezone wasn’t too optimistic, “Well, let’s see. Everything sucks so far, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
Atticus Ross also discussed trying to keep his music fresh.
“Music is a continual lesson and voyage of discovery. But what we don’t do is find something that works really well in one project and transplant it into another one, because that defeats the whole purpose. With all my favorite albums, I can say something like, ‘I know this song is from [David Bowie’s] Low because it sounds a certain way. I know that this piece of music is from Blade Runner.’ The aspiration to create something that has that sense of identity, and that can only live in that world and is attached to that piece of art, whether it be a film or a record.”