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Nine Inch Nails just released two new albums for free

Nine Inch Nails just released two new albums for free

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Ghosts V and VI are available to download and stream

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It’s been two years since Nine Inch Nails released its last album, Bad Witch, but today, the band dropped a surprise pair of records as part of its Ghosts collection. Ghosts V - VI are a product of the times: the uncertain world we’re now living in as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread. “Music — whether listening to it, thinking about it or creating it — has always been the thing that helped us get through anything — good or bad,” reads a post on the band’s website from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. “With that in mind, we decided to burn the midnight oil and complete these new Ghosts records as a means of staying somewhat sane.”

Both albums are available as free downloads on the band’s website and via YouTube; they’ll hit wider streaming services later today. Together, an 8-track list, is “for when things seem like it might all be okay,” while Locusts has 15 songs the band says “you’ll figure it out.” Based on the titles from the latter — a smattering of stress-inducing names, including “The Worriment Waltz,” “Trust Fades,” and “So Tired” — it doesn’t seem hard to guess the mood.

“As the news seems to turn ever more grim by the hour we’ve found ourselves vacillating widly between feeling like there may be hope at times to utter despair — often changing minute to minute,” the band writes. “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.” Thank you, Nine Inch Nails, for scoring our current apocalypse.