Nine Inch Nails Drop New Single “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” From ‘Tron: Ares’ Soundtrack
The newly released single marks their first solo musical release as a band since their set of ambient albums from 2020, Ghosts V: Together and Ghost VI: Locusts.
Courtesy of Nine Inc Nail
Courtesy of Nine Inc Nails.
After five years, Nine Inch Nails have officially made their return with their latest single, titled “As Alive As You Need Me To Be.”
“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” remains true to their original sound, infusing elements of club-ready techno and industrial rock into the track, resulting in one glorious comeback that was well worth the wait. Frontman/vocalist Trent Reznor’s jagged vocal delivery elicits such a striking tone, especially by the point it reaches the chorus, wherein it morphs into an almost primal sense of pleading as he repeats the title of the track over and over again.
The newly released single serves as the first teaser off their work on the soundtrack of the upcoming blockbuster, Tron: Ares. Though the band’s members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have frequently paired up to work on several renowned compositions for various movie soundtracks, this marks the first soundtrack wherein the duo are releasing under the band’s name.
The full soundtrack of Tron: Ares is scheduled to be released on September 15, 2025, coinciding with the release of the film in cinemas. The forthcoming movie stars Greta Lee, Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Jeff Bridges, and will serve as a sequel to 2011’s Tron: Legacy (which was famously scored by Daft Punk). Check out the full trailer of the film below:
The upcoming soundtrack release is set to mark the twelfth studio album of Nine Inch Nails, following their duo of ambient noise records, Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts, which were released for free in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Reznor and Ross released the original score for Apple TV’s original film The Gorge outside of the Nine Inch Nails banner, and also dropped two of 2024’s most critically acclaimed soundtracks, Queer and Challengers, with both films being directed by Luca Guadagnino. In 2021, they served as the co-producers for Halsey‘s renowned alternative-rock concept album, If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power.
In their longstanding career producing soundtracks for the film industry, Reznor and Ross have won a total of two Academy Awards (for David Fincher’s The Social Network and Pixar’s Soul), alongside three Golden Globe awards (for The Social Network, Soul, and Challengers), two Grammys (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Soul), and a Primetime Emmy Award for their work on the HBO limited series, Watchmen.
Pre-order and pre-save Nine Inch Nails’ soundtrack of Tron: Ares here.
As we anticipate the release of the soundtrack of Tron: Ares, listen to Nine Inch Nails’ latest single “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” below: