Holy shit, Nine Inch Nails have given us something to believe in: their first new song in five years and the inititial preview of their TRON: Ares soundtrack, “As Alive as You Need Me to Be.”
Nearly a year removed from the announcement that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross would be handling soundtracking duties to the Disney-fied sci-fi flick, the industrial icons have unveiled the soundtrack’s first circuit-throbbing single.
Right up front, the laser-gridded lyric video kabooms huge-ass synth-bass rhythms and quake-inducing drum-machine beats our way. As the cut further leans into a dark-bangin’ NIN rhythm, Reznor drips into a sensually sneer-whispering report about his latest “infection,” one that feels like a tongue lappin’ about the back of his neck.
Following some vocoded backups (perhaps a nod to previous Tron scorers Daft Punk), a devilishly melodic, distortion-pressed chorus has the circuitous worship song leaning into a hummable vocal hook of “Give me something to believe in.”
You can check out NIN’s vital new “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” single up above, while the TRON: Ares soundtrack will be revealed in full on September 19th. You can pre-save and pre-order here.
Meanwhile, Nine Inch Nails’ “Peel It Back” world tour next picks up August 8th at Portland, Oregon’s MODA Center, and continues through North America until the middle of September. You’ll find more date info here.