How To Destroy Angels (EP)

It’s pretty safe to say I’m a big NIN fan. I’ve been listening for eleven years now and have seen Trent Reznor live five times. I may not fap over his music the way some people *cough*ETS*cough* do, but overall I like his sound.

Anyway, his new group, comprised of him, his wife Mariqueen, and Atticus Ross released their new EP today. Six tracks, free to download. And honestly? I didn’t really like it. Overall, the mood of the album is dark and beat-heavy. It’s all slowed down and laid back; when I listen to it I get this image of emo kids having sex… or cutting themselves. Maybe both, I don’t know.

I think more than anything, though, the album is just forgettable. There are no tracks that really stand out, no interesting hooks or anything like that. I suppose BBB could end up being an anthem of sorts to annoying teens, what with its repeated line of “Listen to the sound of my big black boots”. Clever lyrics!

Although nothing in particular is excellent, I do like some parts of some tracks. There’s a bunch of glitching sounds in The Believers, and the beat to Fur Lined is pretty reminiscent of NIN’s Only (from With Teeth). I think I would have liked the album a bit more if it had been just an instrumental and they had swapped out the vocals for more weird stuff.

I know that HTDA is its own group and not connected to NIN directly, but you can’t help but draw comparisons, especially when you can hear influences from the latter. I guess there’s potential here, and of course I’ll keep my eye on it – but I’ll still be waiting for more of what Trent Reznor does best.

And just as a side note, I’m marginally pissed that they have a boatload of shirts for sale on their site, including a limited edition T-shirt for $50. That cash gets you a “handmade silkscreened hand-numbered with a custom HDTA tag” shirt, whatever that is. A band releases six tracks and you sell a shirt for $50? Did I miss something?