In the music community, Fridays are known for new song releases, and this Friday is no exception. In fact, today marks the release of Nine Inch Nails’ soundtrack for Tron: Ares, an album that has inarguably generated considerably more hype than the Jared Leto-led film itself.
In tandem with the release of the Tron: Ares original motion picture soundtrack on streaming platforms as well as the band’s official YouTube channel, Disney released a featurette promoting the film. The featurette includes an all-timer back-of-the-box quote from Jeff Bridges, wherein the returning actor talks up the franchise’s sonic history, with the likes of Wendy Carlos and Daft Punk providing their musical talents to the soundtracks of past Tron films.
Bridges echoed fellow cast members Leto and Greta Lee’s sentiments on Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross enriching Tron: Ares with the industrial rock band’s unmistakable musical flair in the most Dude-like way possible, saying, “Nine Inch Nails, man.”
The press release for the album emphasizes how it stands out as a work from the bandmates, who are two-time Oscar winners and have received three Golden Globe awards, as well as Grammy and Emmy accolades, all under the Nine Inch Nails banner. However, we reckon the 24-track album feels more like a collage of the band’s recent works, drawing influences from more contemporary (and slept on) albums like Ghosts, Hesitation Marks, and Bad Witch. Old NIN-head fans can rest assured that the soundtrack is rife with a distinctly synth-heavy, video game-like feel, combined with the classic booming vocals and bravado Reznor is known for.
Basically, if their work on the Challengers soundtrack made you want to push for extra reps in the gym, this album will have a bit of that while also being peak “driving on the freeway at night to catch a vibe” music.
Director Joachim Rønning found the music so integral to the movie that he would listen to it to get into the groove, often feeling as if he were levitating out of his chair.
Clocking in at an hour and seven minutes, the soundtrack, as the kids say, fucks. While mostly instrumental, with three songs featuring vocals, the soundtrack certainly feels like it has grounds to stand on its own as a kick-ass album from Nine Inch Nails, divorced from the film itself in a similar phenomenon to the band’s OST work for Bethesda’s 1996 game Quake.
Still, it’s definitely one of those where, upon repetition, renditions of many of the track’s shared leitmotifs will grow on you or be standout favorites while looping them. Having gotten through our first listen, some of our standout tracks, excluding “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” are “Infiltrator,” “Building Better Worlds,” and “Target Identified.”
Fans can look forward to witnessing the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack underscore Tron: Ares when the film hits theaters on October 10.
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