

9. HESITATION MARKS Packaging, 2013



The artwork for Hesitation Marks was made by Russell Mills, who most memorably worked with Reznor 19 years ago on 1994’s The Downward Spiral. Not so much has changed, really: the band’s look is still steampunk abstract expressionism via computer, like channeling Gerhard Richter through Adobe Creative Suite. On the new record, the typeface DIN reappears, the title is rendered in all lowercase letters, the “n” characters are still backwards, there is some Photoshop magic and many of the textures are sepia-toned or distressed. The composition seems to seek forward movement in an almost insta-retro-futurist sort of way—simultaneous nostalgia and futurism, a tone that has defined the band’s visual output over the past 25 years. Given that quarter-century tenure, it’s somewhat surprising that the NIN aesthetic is in many ways more ambitious than ever: there are four available covers for the new record. There is one for the vinyl LP, one for the standard compact disc, one for the deluxe compact disc and one for the digital download—omnipresence via multimedia platforming. NIN is a really good band. NIN is a really good brand.