Just before Christmas, Nine Inch Nails frontman (and, lest we forget, Oscar winning composer) Trent Reznor announced the imminent arrival of The Fragile: Deviations on vinyl, alongside the release of a brand-new EP called Not The Actual Events. Nails fans everywhere rejoiced, made their purchases, and sat patiently waiting for them to arrive.

Not The Actual Events arrived pretty much on time. The Fragile: Deviations, on the other hand, never made it across the finish line. Rumors circulated that something had gone wrong during production, and for months fans have been waiting for an official update on the situation: how long would the album be delayed? What was the hold-up?

Today, Reznor himself sent out an email laying it all out. It reads:

TWO APOLOGIES, A STATEMENT, AND A QUESTION.



APOLOGY 1:

FIRST, AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW WE ARE CHANGING OUR FULFILLMENT PARTNER. I HAVE NOT BEEN HAPPY WITH FIREBRAND FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS AND WE ARE NOW PARTNERING WITH SANDBAG. I’M SORRY IT’S TAKEN AS LONG AS IT HAS TO MAKE THIS CHANGE, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY AGGRAVATION YOU MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED ON THIS FRONT. YOUR SUPPORT IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AND I ASSURE YOU THERE’S BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF SCREAMING DONE ON MY END. YOU DESERVE BETTER.



APOLOGY 2:

THE VINYL RELEASES FOR DEVIATIONS, NOT THE ACTUAL EVENTS AND THE REISSUES HAVE BEEN DELAYED AS MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE. THE BLAME FOR THIS LIES WITH ME AND MY TEAM. WE RAN INTO A VARIETY OF QUALITY CONTROL ISSUES WITH THE AUDIO AND VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE ARTWORK, THEN WE GOT OBSESSIVE ABOUT GETTING IT RIGHT. AT SOME POINT THESE FUCKUPS STARTED TO ADD UP TO A SUBSTANTIAL DELAY THAT I WASN’T FULLY AWARE OF UNTIL RECENTLY.



AGAIN, I’M SORRY FOR THE DELAY HERE BUT THE INTENTION HAS BEEN TO GET THIS UNCOMPROMISINGLY RIGHT.

So, first of all: thumbs up to Trent Reznor for taking the time to break this one down for us. The shipping got screwed up, there were some quality control issues, Reznor had to unleash "an extraordinary amount of screaming" upon a few very unlucky individuals, but now it's all being worked out. Sure, we've gotta wait until June to collect the albums we ordered, but what's another month or two?

And besides, how could anyone be angry when the above was accompanied by this announcement:

QUESTION:

FINALLY, DID YOU KNOW THERE’S A NEW TOP-SECRET NINE INCH NAILS EP THAT WILL BE RELEASED BEFORE THE FIRST SHOWS WE DO THIS SUMMER? DID YOU KNOW NOT THE ACTUAL EVENTS WAS THE FIRST PART OF A TRILOGY OF RELATED EPS THAT WILL BE RELEASED ABOUT 6-8 MONTHS APART? NOW YOU DO.

MORE INFORMATION ON THIS SHORTLY…

Yes, you read that correctly: as it turns out, Not The Actual Events was just the first in a planned trilogy of new Nine Inch Nails EPs. The next one should be arriving shortly, ahead of the concert dates Reznor and company have lined up over the summer, and the final installment should arrive towards the end of the year. What a fantastic surprise!

In addition to that exciting bit of news and a pair of apologies, Reznor also announced that everyone with an outstanding vinyl order from the Nine Inch Nails website would soon be receiving a special discount code for 20% off their next purchase. This dude definitely understands how to get back in our good graces.

No word on when a full Nine Inch Nails tour might be announced or when Reznor (and longtime co-composer Atticus Ross) might return to score another film, but of course we'll keep you informed on both fronts as the updates roll in. Spend the interim celebrating in the comments below, Reznor fans.

(Note: Header image used with permission via Wikimedia Commons)