Nine Inch Nails surprise-release two new albums in Ghosts series for free
Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts live to haunt another day.
The industrial rock band revived their instrumental album series Thursday with the surprise release of the fifth and sixth chapters, which dropped 12 years after the first four installments premiered in 2008.
Among the two sets — titled Together and Locusts, respectively — are 23 new songs (available for free on the band's website) in total, with members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross releasing a statement indicating the first portion is intended "for when things seem like it might all be okay," while the latter half has a darker tone.
"As the news seems to turn ever more grim by the hour, we've found ourselves vacillating wildly between feeling like there may be hope, at times to utter despair — often changing minute to minute," the statement reads, seemingly referencing the panic surrounding the global coronavirus pandemic and the international lockdowns it has inspired worldwide. "Although each of us define ourselves as antisocial types who prefer being on our own, this situation has really made us appreciate the power and need for connection."
Last year, recording artist Lil Nas X ignited a resurgence in popularity for original track "34 Ghosts IV," which he heavily sampled in his No. 1 smash "Old Town Road."
Since releasing their first album in 1989, Nine Inch Nails have unveiled 10 albums overall (counting Ghosts releases as one collective LP), two of which (1999's The Fragile and 2005's With Teeth) have charted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Ghosts: V-VI available for free on Nine Inch Nails' website, and will debut on streaming services later this week.
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