Less Than (song)

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"Less Than"
Single by Nine Inch Nails
from the album Add Violence
ReleasedJuly 13, 2017 (2017-07-13)
GenreIndustrial rock[1]
Length3:30
LabelThe Null Corporation
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Trent Reznor
  • Atticus Ross
Nine Inch Nails singles chronology
"Everything"
(2013) 		"Less Than"
(2017) 		"God Break Down the Door"
(2018)
Music video
"Nine Inch Nails – Less Than" on
YouTube

"Less Than" is a song by American

mine information from people for the government. It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock Songs
chart.

Background

"Less Than" was announced and released as the lead single and opening track of the

data mined people's personal information for the government—leading some publications to suggest a similarity in themes between the game and song.[5][6][7]

Themes and composition

Copy of A" ("Go and look what you've gone done" vs. "Now look what you've gone and done") and similarly structured ominous choruses between it and 1990 single "Head Like a Hole", with both songs referring to "getting what one deserves".[8] The song starts off relatively upbeat and simple, slowly becoming more ominous and cluttered before abruptly ending.[9] Loudwire compared the song's sound to the band's Pretty Hate Machine era, noting that the song featured "a heavy synth base" and that "guitars still wail in the background over Trent Reznor's vocals [...] a huge guitar chorus fires into focus, featuring a clean and catchy kind of riff". It also states that "things get noisy and weird as the song progresses, giving the best of both worlds with catchy, clean work found on the likes of With Teeth while also showing Reznor letting loose before an abrupt ending".[10] NPR described the song as having an "anthemic rock chorus".[11]

Reception

The song was generally well received by critics. Spin praised the song, calling it "comfort food for Trent Reznor fans" and concluding that it "may be the best that we can hope for from the mature, more dignified Nine Inch Nails in 2017".[8] Multiple journalists singled out the song as the best or standout track from Add Violence.[2]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] 22
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] 10
US
Rock Airplay (Billboard)[14]
 21

References

  1. ^ "Review: Nine Inch Nails - "This Isn't the Place"". spin.com. 18 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Nine Inch Nails, Foster The People, and more in this week's music reviews". 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  3. ^ "Nine Inch Nails announce Add Violence EP, share "Less Than": Stream". Consequence of Sound. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  4. ^ "The new Nine Inch Nails music video is set inside a real video game that you can play right now". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  5. ^ a b "Nine Inch Nails' latest video taps into gaming legend". Engadget. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  6. ^ Joho, Jess. "There's a really trippy story behind Nine Inch Nails' new music video". Mashable. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  7. ^ "The new Nine Inch Nails music video is set inside a real video game that you can play right now". Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  8. ^ a b "Nine Inch Nails' "Less Than" Review". Spin. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  9. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Preview 'Add Violence' EP With Driving New Song". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  10. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Release New Song 'Less Than,' Announce New EP 'Add Violence'". Loudwire. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  11. ^ "Listen: Nine Inch Nails Announces 'ADD VIOLENCE' EP, Shares Cinematic New Single". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  12. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  13. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
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