Released:  October 20th, 1989

Recorded:  May – June 1989

Genre:  Electro-Industrial, Industrial Rock, Synthpop

Record Label:  TVT

Duration:  48:42

Producers:  Trent Reznor, Flood, Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc, John Fryer

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Pretty Hate Machine is One of My Favorites

Pretty Hate Machine will be my penultimate departure from the 90’s due to my self-imposed limit of 10 extraneous albums, though more than any other release so far, it comes closest to the decade I’ve (mostly) devoted this series to.  And from the instant that I decided to touch on a few albums outside of the 90’s, I knew this would have to be discussed!

Most people have heard “Head Like a Hole” and could probably identify it, though I would speculate that few of them would have any idea that it was the same man who would go on to utter, “I wanna fuck you like an animal” a few years later in “Closer.”  The difference between Reznor’s first and second albums is stunning – as is the difference between both of them and the EP released in the interim, Broken.  Pretty Hate Machine draws much more heavily from the “purer” electronic roots of industrial while mixing in danceable rhythms that became popular within the genre during the 80’s, and borrows substantially from the sort of music that Ministry and Skinny Puppy were producing at the time.  Reznor game along and did away with a lot of the experimentation, tightened up his song structure, wrote a few hooks, and churned out what would go on to become its very own brand of synthpop.

Pretty Hate Machine sounds dated, but not in a bad way.  It is music from a darker, seedier version of the 80’s, one with all of the decade’s decadence and none of its innocence; the sort of music one might expect to find in a clandestine warehouse party, fueled with amphetamine and cocaine.  There’s a catchy, poppy element to it, but there’s also an unnerving and restless component as well.  The subject matter drips with themes of low self-esteem (“Down In It”), rejection (“Head Like a Hole,” “Sin,” “Ringfinger”), freedom and hedonism (“The Only Time”), raw anger (“Terrible Lie”), and abject yearning (“Something I Can Never Have”).  Underneath much of it is a sexual element, which is furthered tied into larger themes of control, a comparison that has always been a favorite of Reznor’s.    The light and often upbeat music contrasts with the “dirtier” quality of the lyrics, giving Pretty Hate Machine an interesting duality.

Those that are used to the Nine Inch Nails on The Downward Spiral, or The Fragile, or really any other album may be in for a bit of a shock with Pretty Hate Machine.  I know I was.  At first, I felt so estranged from the music that I figured it would be just another album that got tossed to the side.  I’m not sure what ultimately changed my perception, but I do know that the more I listened to it, the more I liked it.  It was one of the first few albums that I grew to appreciate as a whole and still remains something that I can easily listen to from beginning to end without a single skip.  The beginnings of Reznor’s noisy, dissonant, and harsh approach to future records can still be spotted at the end of some songs as they begin to break down; “Sin” standing out in particular.  At only 10 tracks, it’s easy to get to know these songs inside and out.  Like I said, they continue to get catchier and more interesting after each listen.  What sounds simple and noisy at first subsequently grows into layers of thoughtfully constructed sounds.

Reznor’s vocals drive the “Hate” in Pretty Hate Machine, ranging from moans, shouts, and pained crooning.  Though not as harsh as Broken or as processed as The Downward Spiral, his voice is still very identifiable.  It adds the pinch of despair that subverts the record’s poppiness.

“Head Like a Hole” is the perfect opener, blending guitars with electro-industrial and creating the blueprint that would become the foundation for the phenomenon known as industrial rock that would sweep through the mid 90’s with acts such as Filter, Stabbing Westward, Gravity Kills, and countless others.  “Terrible Lie” is the album’s most aggressive track, relying more on hard rock conventions with an industrial undercurrent.  The “soft-loud” dynamic fuels the aggression, as does the shouted chorus.  “Down In It” has been referred to by Reznor himself as a rip-off of Skinny Puppy’s “Dig It.”  It contains a very hip-hop-like rhythm that Reznor sort of “raps” over, not dissimilar to the almost “gothic rap” stylings of Skinny Puppy during the days of “Dig It.”  “Sanctified” borders almost on funk with its sultry bassline.  Vocals float and reverberate for an empty, hollow sound, and then there’s that punchy sample that pops up during the chorus.

“Something I Can Never Have” is probably one of the saddest songs ever.  With a haunting piano piece that completely embodies loneliness and loss, Reznor’s amazing lyrics can bring anyone to tears.  The intermittent buzzing, the pounding percussion during the chorus, and the return to only the piano all form a song that sounds both vast and claustrophobic.  And hidden way back in the background are the sounds of birds tweeting.  Why?  I don’t know, but it’s an intriguing addition.  The entire song is beautiful in its sadness; some of my favorite lines are, “My favorite dreams of you still wash ashore,” “This thing is slowly taking me apart / gray would be the color / if I had a heart,” and of course, “Everywhere I look you’re all I see / just a fading fucking reminder of who I used to be.”

“Kinda I Want To” is one of the records faster and more upbeat numbers, with limited focus on guitars (aside from the bridge) and more attention given to lead synth instrumentation.  It’s about going against convention and popular opinion and having the confidence to do whatever feels ago.  Drugs?  Sex?  Something else?  I’d lean towards sex, and Reznor’s lyrics and sleazy delivery point to something perhaps more sinister than merely going against the grain.  “Sin” might be the catchiest track on Pretty Hate Machine.  An obvious lash out from one jilted lover to another, here’s another fine example of the juxtaposition of poppy(ish) music with dark and angry lyrical content.

“That’s What I Get” features relatively minimal instrumentation compared to the rest of the album, though it does house a few of the record’s most interesting sound effects.  The title pretty much says it all; yes, there’s a bit of self-pity and self-loathing happening here.  But this is quickly set aside for the brazen “The Only Time.”  Only a few seconds in, Reznor asserts, “Lay my hands on heaven and the sun and the moon and the stars / while the devil wants to fuck me in the back of his car / nothing quite like the feel of something new.”  More than most cuts, “The Only Time” reflects the cacophonous direction that Reznor’s musical inclinations were taking him.  Halfway through, drums start pounding and the layers of synth and distortion begin piling up, while Reznor shouts and screams over increasingly harsh instrumentation.  And who can forget the line “My moral standing is lying down”?

“Ringfinger” closes Pretty Hate Machine with what may be the album’s most melodic piece, at least initially.  Synth gives way to sharply distorted guitar as the track progresses, demonstrating another early fusion of guitars and electronics.  It goes off in a bit of dance-like direction near the end, though the first half is undeniably catchy.  Pretty Hate Machine has more than its fair share of witty and/or poignant lyrics; one from “Ringfinger” that especially strikes me is, “If I was twice the man I could be / I’d still be half of what you need” – a fantastic summation of a common sentiment.

I remember how confused I was when I first heard Pretty Hate Machine.  Nowadays it’s easy to see glimpses of the Nine Inch Nails that was to emerge on Broken and even The Downward Spiral, though I can completely understand the unfamiliar elements outweighing the familiar for new listeners.  There’s not a ton of overt rock here – I’d say it’s about a 60 / 40 split between electro-industrial and rock, which is fairly even considering the other stuff out there.  What keeps NIN’s debut more accessible than other records aimed in this general direction is Reznor’s focus on identifiable song structure, catchy (or at least memorable) tunes, and time signatures that people can immediately recognize.  Much of what I like about industrial (the raw sounds) ends up obscured by the artists’ disinclination to adhere to traditional structure, and that’s where NIN/Reznor really began to carve out his niche, starting with this release.

The only complaint I have is how thin the music sounds, and it can be a real turn off to audiophiles.  This was likely an issue more related to the mastering process than actual production, and the remastered version is a noticeable improvement for old fans and newcomers alike.  Still, I guess it doesn’t bother me too much, because I’ve listed to this record from top to bottom hundreds of times.

I’m not sure that I like Pretty Hate Machine for the same reasons that I like other Nine Inch Nails albums, but I did get into it because it is a Nine Inch Nails release and ended up loving it based on its own merits.  Where pop sensibility meets anguished lyrics meets dancy electronica, an awesome record is born.

Written by The Cubist

Other albums from Nine Inch Nails in this series:

• 1992 – Broken – Issue #59
• 1994 – The Downward Spiral – Issue #1
• 1999 – The Fragile – Issue #60

Back to The Cubist’s 90’s Albums