God Break Down the Door - first single

[Victor Newman]

Listen #4:

This song sucks. Trent's singing "melody" is awful. The music is good. I'm not talking about his quavering... just his vocal melody sucks.

The good news is there are 5 other tracks on this thing...and I'll probably be super into 1 or 2 of them.

[richardp]

Oh my god this song is so good. Loving the VERY obvious Bowie tribute aspects to this. It's about as hauntingly beautiful as the Can't Give Everything Away cover. Can't believe after all these years we finally got that long awaited Trent saxophone solo. Meathead must be spinning in his grave.

F'real though, this song is fucking fantastic. 5/5.

[streetman]

Listen #4:

This song sucks. Trent's singing "melody" is awful. The music is good. I'm not talking about his quavering... just his vocal melody sucks.

The good news is there are 5 other tracks on this thing...and I'll probably be super into 1 or 2 of them.

Yeah, I have no idea why he's singing like that. I guess we'll find out sooner or later. To be honest, he could have just sounded like he did at the very end of this which is his normal voice and the song would have been badass without the distraction of this strange voice.

The only dumb theory I have as to the voice is that maybe this was a song that Trent wrote for Bowie or something years ago that never got made. And it found it place on this EP. No idea really.

[thefragile_jake]

I have a feeling this will be probably the only less abrasive moment on the record ... and even so, this song is still pretty crazy as it is.

[HWB]

I have a feeling this will be probably the only less abrasive moment on the record ... and even so, this song is still pretty crazy as it is.

It is the single, apparently "Less Than" of Bad Witch, lol. That thought gets me even more crazy, damn I'm hyped

[richardp]

Yeah, I have no idea why he's singing like that. I guess we'll find out sooner or later. To be honest, he could have just sounded like he did at the very end of this which is his normal voice and the song would have been badass without the distraction of this strange voice.

Are you serious, dude? He's singing in a similar vocal tone and melody as David Bowie. The whole song is an obvious homage to Bowie.

[thefragile_jake]

It is the single, apparently "Less Than" of Bad Witch, lol. That thought gets me even more crazy, damn I'm hyped

Same here!

This song feels like the musical equivalent of this ...

[streetman]

Are you serious, dude? He's singing in a similar vocal tone and melody as David Bowie. The whole song is an obvious homage to Bowie.

You posted this seconds before I edited my comment lol. I added in what I think in that original comment. Perhaps it's a tribute or maybe it was a song they planned on making and never did and now Trent completes it with a twist on it for this EP. It's still odd that he would randomly sing like Bowie if it's not for the reason I mentioned.

[streetman]

It is the single, apparently "Less Than" of Bad Witch, lol. That thought gets me even more crazy, damn I'm hyped

I sure hope it's not the single. I was expecting something that would blow LESS THAN out of the water. This is good but it's nowhere near as banging as LESS THAN.

[thefragile_jake]

I sure hope it's not the single. I was expecting something that would blow LESS THAN out of the water. This is good but it's nowhere near as banging as LESS THAN.

It's not like Trent has to be fighting for radio play or catchiness these days. Of this trilogy project, Less Than was this era's The Hand That Feeds in terms of a "single". I'm totally fine if it just keeps getting weirder from here.

[streetman]

It's not like Trent has to be fighting for radio play or catchiness these days. Of this trilogy project, Less Than was this era's The Hand That Feeds in terms of a "single". I'm totally find if it just keeps getting weirder from here.

But I'd prefer a single where he's not doing an impression of another artist for the majority of it lol. Call me crazy but I much prefer Trent's own voice compared to Bowie's. I'm very interested to hear what the idea was behind this song; hopefully someone asks him this during the press rounds.

[Bajoobatron]

Listen #4:

This song sucks. Trent's singing "melody" is awful. The music is good. I'm not talking about his quavering... just his vocal melody sucks.

The good news is there are 5 other tracks on this thing...and I'll probably be super into 1 or 2 of them.

Dear Diary,

These first few listens have confused me; I struggle as to whether or not I appreciate the voices and noises around me. I felt that 4 would be a sufficient number, however that is a silly thought, as 4 is not much of anything. I will judge and amplify my pre-conceived notions through a form of confirmation bias, so that I won't even appreciate 50% of the art I am willingly subjecting myself to. Please let Trent know that the battle may be won, but I am disappointed in him.

Sincerely,

Victor "this song sucks" Newman

[ManBurning]

I made my girlfriend listen to this song with headphones on to see how she would react.
She isn't the biggest NIN fan, but does appreciate them - her favourite songs are Closer, WITT and The Perfect Drug. Very causal fan.
She likes harder rock/metal so NIN isn't totally left field for her.

Anyway, her initial reaction was, she had to stop the song 1/3 in. She said it was so bad she couldn't finish it.
I made her finish it.
She said it was different, very repetitive, didn't sound a thing like NIN. She said the strangest/worst part of the song was actually his singing though.
She said at one point, it sounded like it was picking up and had a typical "NIN beat" but it only lasted for like 10-15 seconds and went back to being repetitive again.
She doesn't think I'm going to like this.

I am worried. Very worried.

Still holding out listening to it though. I'll wait for next month either wait to hear it live or wait to hear it in the context of the album.

[thefragile_jake]

her favourite songs are Closer, WITT and The Perfect Drug. Very causal fan.
She likes harder rock/metal

This song isn’t in her wheelhouse then. It’s not a “rock” song in a sense with traditional song writing.

It’s like The Fragile meets Driver Down with a sprinkle of Blackstar Bowie. If that sounds interesting to you, you’re fine.

[sonic_discord]

I made my girlfriend listen to this song with headphones on to see how she would react.
She isn't the biggest NIN fan, but does appreciate them - her favourite songs are Closer, WITT and The Perfect Drug. Very causal fan.
She likes harder rock/metal so NIN isn't totally left field for her.

Anyway, her initial reaction was, she had to stop the song 1/3 in. She said it was so bad she couldn't finish it.
I made her finish it.
She said it was different, very repetitive, didn't sound a thing like NIN. She said the strangest/worst part of the song was actually his singing though.
She said at one point, it sounded like it was picking up and had a typical "NIN beat" but it only lasted for like 10-15 seconds and went back to being repetitive again.
She doesn't think I'm going to like this.

I am worried. Very worried.

Still holding out listening to it though. I'll wait for next month either wait to hear it live or wait to hear it in the context of the album.

You're worried because your girlfriend who isn't a NIN fan doesn't think you'll like it? Hey man, I tried to play this song at home and my wife was asking me to turn it off right away too, but NIN isn't my wife's cup of tea (she tolerates them and even kinda likes a few songs like Only and Copy of a), but I couldn't care less if she hates it (though I would certainly prefer that she doesn't) because I like it. Maybe just accept that you don't like one sixth of the album thus far and hope that the other five tracks are more up your alley. Chances are that this is probably the only song like it on Bad Witch. Who knows, this song could grow on you after you've had more than 12 hours to digest it.

[ManBurning]

This song isn’t in her wheelhouse then. It’s not a “rock” song in a sense with traditional song writing.

It’s like The Fragile meets Driver Down with a sprinkle of Blackstar Bowie. If that sounds interesting to you, you’re fine.

I actually hate Blackstar Bowie. I actually can't stand it. And I know, thems fighting words. But I don't care. Blackstar was terrible. Unlistenable actually. I wanted so bad to get into that record, I always loved Bowie. I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. The only listenable song to me on that record was Lazarus.

For the record, i just made her listen to "Everything" for comparison sake, and she said that "Everything" was worse. Guess that leaves me a bit more hopeful. But my expectations are officially low.

Also, if it means anything, I couldn't stand Trent's version of "I can't give everything away". That song did nothing for me. That was the lowest point of the show for me.
I hate the triple H's, but I'd still take an hour and a half of Hurt versions live than hear that song again. I don't know why, but Blackstar is not music to me ears, and that frightens me.

Well, 5 other tracks on the record could potentially be good. Right friends?

[Tom]

I'm surprised this is turning out to be somewhat divisive - I haven't clicked so easily with a new nin track for a long time. More of this please, Trent.

[HWB]

I actually hate Blackstar Bowie. I actually can't stand it. And I know, thems fighting words. But I don't care. Blackstar was terrible. Unlistenable actually. I wanted so bad to get into that record, I always loved Bowie. I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. The only listenable song to me on that record was Lazarus.

For the record, i just made her listen to "Everything" for comparison sake, and she said that "Everything" was worse. Guess that leaves me a bit more hopeful. But my expectations are officially low.

Also, if it means anything, I couldn't stand Trent's version of "I can't give everything away". That song did nothing for me. That was the lowest point of the show for me.
I hate the triple H's, but I'd still take an hour and a half of Hurt versions live than hear that song again. I don't know why, but Blackstar is not music to me ears, and that frightens me.

Well, 5 other tracks on the record could potentially be good. Right friends?

I think you REALLY shouldn't judge the song and assume it is bad just from descriptions from others, even opinions, this is going to be a very diverse song, some utterly love it, other hate it, but most seems to be loving it.

At this point, you should probably just listen to it and see for yourself

[ManBurning]

I think you REALLY shouldn't judge the song and assume it is bad just from descriptions from others, even opinions, this is going to be a very diverse song, some utterly love it, other hate it, but most seems to be loving it.

At this point, you should probably just listen to it and see for yourself, h

But how can you go wrong with @Victor Newman 's opinion?

[HWB]

But how can you go wrong with @Victor Newman 's opinion?

in every way

[reznovka]

This song sounds like Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, Drum'n'Bass and a drunken saxophone player...but I like it

[LosingFocus]

Well well. Read through this entire thread (urgh) before checking twitter for a working copy. Pleasantly surprised after reading some of the views on here. Hearing a lot of Radiohead in there, a touch of Bowie as mentioned numerous times before and a little smattering of Aphex. Vocals are in no way as radical as others are making out, pretty standard but with an extra push on the vocalisation at the end of words. The beat is lovely, the off kilter DnB style and the off beat vocal track make it interesting. The second half is superb though.

[Fred]

The song is available on TIDAL in Denmark this morning. A friend confirmed it's not on Spotify in the same territory. Not sure about other streaming services.

Also: I fucking love this song. All my bets are officially off as to what this album is going to be like. I have never heard NIN so avant-garde or dissonant before, and even though Trent has been reinventing himself for three decades now, this is so unexpected. The Montreux Jazz Festival headlining slot makes perfect sense now.

[Amaro]

Not a fan of the new song. Just doesn't move me. Really curious choice for a first single, and for a single at all.

I do find the production to be quite cool.

[Volband]

Listen #4:

This song sucks. Trent's singing "melody" is awful. The music is good. I'm not talking about his quavering... just his vocal melody sucks.

The good news is there are 5 other tracks on this thing...and I'll probably be super into 1 or 2 of them.

Now I want you to make an entry every single day until June 22. It's going to be a best-seller psychological thriller.

"There is no god up in the sky, tonight. No sign of heaven, anywhere in sight" - Trent Reznor

That's a bit different though, isn't it? In the context of the song, it's just an encouragement to sin, because they are free to do so that night. Trent definitely hates organized religion, but God appears in many of his songs.

This song isn’t in her wheelhouse then. It’s not a “rock” song in a sense with traditional song writing.

It’s like The Fragile meets Driver Down with a sprinkle of Blackstar Bowie. If that sounds interesting to you, you’re fine.

Based on NIN tracks alone, this song isn't in anyone's wheelhouse, as this is pretty much a one off.

[streetman]

Now I want you to make an entry every single day until June 22. It's going to be a best-seller psychological thriller.

That's a bit different though, isn't it? In the context of the song, it's just an encouragement to sin, because they are free to do so that night. Trent definitely hates organized religion, but God appears in many of his songs.

Based on NIN tracks alone, this song isn't in anyone's wheelhouse, as this is pretty much a one off.

"God" appears in entertainment all the time. In comics, movies, tv, music, etc. It's a great topic for artists because it's so fucking bogus and makes for great fiction. The use of it in Year Zero is pretty obvious and it's nothing positive.

[niggo]

The Montreux Jazz Festival headlining slot makes perfect sense now.

I'm betting my ass that there won't be any special shows / set lists this year. Granted, it's an odd festival, but remember that Gary Numan is also with them. It'll be a typical NIN set.

It's just like back in 2014 when they toured with QOTSA and everybody expected them to play Kalopsia together because it seemed to make sense. Never happened.

[afors]

Anyone else getting a Chemical Brothers vibe in places? At one point point I was sure he was going to sing, "Back with another one of those block rockin' beats"

I was thinking Prodigy (twisted fire starter!), but Chemical Bothers works too! I'm picking up Radiohead vibes especially Kid-A/Amnesiac era - I can picture Thom Yorke singing this one. I like this. Definitely Bowiesque crooning. Can't wait for official release. Super excited about London too.
Just be glad Trent is producing new NIN material people. Evolution is a good thing.

[Volband]

"God" appears in entertainment all the time. In comics, movies, tv, music, etc. It's a great topic for artists because it's so fucking bogus and makes for great fiction. The use of it in Year Zero is pretty obvious and it's nothing positive.

Terrible Lie and The Wretched comes to my mind, where he sounds really fucking bitter and blames God for it (as well). Also, the protagonist in TL is actually struggling with wanting to believe that there is a God and there is a reason for us here, but all the shit that's happening with him makes him wonder, and makes him feel all alone in this big world.

Anyway, anecdotal story, but most of my friends are not religious, however they believe that there is something. I'd lie if I said I understand it, but it seems like a rather popular view, and I wouldn't be surprised if Trent shared it, or something along these lines. God is just the universal, easy to understand name for that something.

[bobbie solo]

Weird.

I hear “Yanny.”

yeah well, the dress is blue, not gold.