For anyone who has read more than two entries by me, they know I've always been a long time Nine Inch Nails fan. The reason I've always liked this band was because it's almost as if it's a new band every release, just with similar common threads. Much like Bowie, Trent has never gotten comfortable with a specific sound or formula. Aside from a few great tracks off albums here and there, the last front to back good release in my opinion was With Teeth in 2005.
Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch
I have to be honest, I was not expecting to be blown away by this EP. The single "God Break Down the Door" sounded like a blatant rip off of the latest Bowie material, mixed with cheesy haunted house remix beats. I have a process for listening to new music I want to fully digest. I always listen to it all the way through two times before opening up my mouth to friends or this blog. Most of their latest stuff I catch myself making faces like I just ate a lemon Warhead candy, but after the second listen I find redeeming qualities in certain tracks. With this, even before I listened a second time, I was immensely inspired and impressed. I started sending out pictures of the cover to people that didn't even like NIN in excitement. It was exactly what I needed to hear in general for new music, especially Nine Inch Nails.
The first track will make you make your pp feel funny, and by time you're on the last track you'll have several bodily fluids to clean up from your trousers. Hailing back to their earlier sharper guitar tones - it's honestly just the sheer volume and production that will catch your ears at first. Aggressive vocals, driving drums, great hooks but under a bed of noise and fuzz. After a second listen, you'll realize it's also a very well written song. By the third listen, you've already got it fully stuck in your head.
The mix itself is fucking crazy. At times it will sound like the entire track is distorted, then a lead part comes in and sounds so smooth and clean over top of all it, without sounding out of place. Production was never ever an issue with this band. It's easy to make something "sound good" but write a shitty song underneath. I'm fully aware of how dangerous it is writing music in a recording studio. Having access to make everything sound flawless sometimes has you focus more on tones rather than arrangements. Trent has always used technology and production as another writing tool, not a crutch.
Another huge element to the EP's this year is saxophone. Trent played it growing up as a child but it was never a main ingredient to this band. It may have been the consistent Bowie inspiration, or it really could just be as pure as trying something new. Either way, it's a strange but very rich element that I'd love to see pulled off live. I'm happy to hear it being used more as a freelance type track rather than simply taking over as a lead.
In short, this release is a 10/10 for me. I will always and forever get that Christmas morning feeling when a new Nine Inch Nails record comes out. Much like Christmas, sometimes you get sweaters and shit you didn't really expect, but it's still an incredibly important event and you always have next year to get whatever present you feel so entitled to have received, like the brat you are. Luckily, this Christmas I got everything I wanted and more.
I cannot fucking wait until October to see these dudes live!
-Novak