Nine Inch Nails return with “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” their first single in five years

Nine Inch Nails have returned with “As Alive As You Need Me To Be,” the lead single from their upcoming soundtrack to the sci-fi film Tron: Ares. This marks the band’s first new release in five years and their first official single since the 2021 collaboration with Health, “Isn’t Everyone.”

The track is part of a full soundtrack album set for release on September 19th, with the movie hitting theaters on October 10th. While Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are no strangers to film scores, this is the first time they’re releasing one under the Nine Inch Nails name instead of their individual credits.

“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” leans into gritty, synth-heavy industrial territory. It opens with a tense electronic pulse before exploding into a distorted, anthemic chorus, driven by the line, “Give me something to believe in.” The track is more aggressive and electronic than their previous film work, skipping orchestral flourishes in favor of pure NIN energy.

The song also features in the official trailer for Tron: Ares, giving fans a taste of the film’s darker, more futuristic tone. Meanwhile, the band are gearing up to hit the road with the North American leg of their Peel It Back World Tour starting August 6th in Oakland. The run will include stops in cities like Toronto, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles through mid-September.

Disney brought Reznor and Ross onboard for Tron: Ares last year, continuing the franchise’s tradition of tapping electronic pioneers for the score — following in the footsteps of Wendy Carlos and Daft Punk.

Nine Inch Nails Tour Dates 2025
w/ Boys Noize:

August 6 – Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
August 8 – Moda Center, Portland, OR
August 10 – Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC, Canada †
August 12 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
August 14 – Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, UT
August 15 – Ball Arena, Denver, CO
August 17 – Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
August 19 – United Center, Chicago, IL
August 20 – United Center, Chicago, IL
August 22 – Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
August 23 – Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, Canada †
August 26 – CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, MD
August 27 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
August 29 – TD Garden, Boston, MA
August 31 – R.M. Fieldhouse, Cleveland, OH
September 2 – Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
September 3 – Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
September 5 – Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
September 6 – Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
September 9 – Gas South Arena, Duluth, GA
September 10 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
September 12 – Toyota Center, Houston, TX
September 13 – Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
September 16 – PHX Arena, Phoenix, AZ
September 18 – Kia Forum, Los Angeles, CA
September 19 – Kia Forum, Los Angeles, CA