Nine Inch Noize: Trent Reznor and Boys Noize take the Sahara Tent to another dimension

Trent Reznor doesn’t do things halfway — so when Nine Inch Nails and Berlin electronic mastermind Boys Noize decided to formalize their live chemistry into an actual release, the result wasn’t just a remix album. It was ‘Nine Inch Noize,’ dropping Friday, April 17 via Interscope Records, and it’s exactly as unhinged and glorious as it sounds.

How This Thing Even Came to Be

The backstory is genuinely cool. Reznor and Boys Noize (real name Alex Ridha) had already been deep in the creative trenches together — co-producing the ‘TRON: Ares’ soundtrack, including the GRAMMY-winning As Alive As You Need Me To Be. That energy carried into the massive Peel It Back Tour, where Boys Noize joined NIN onstage for an interlude set that reimagined the band’s catalog in purely electronic terms. Fans went nuts. The chemistry was undeniable. So what do you do? You take it to Coachella.

“On a whim I mentioned it would be cool to play a whole set as Nine Inch Noize in the Sahara tent at Coachella,” Reznor said. “Careful what you wish for.” One thing led to another and suddenly there’s a whole new show, a whole new album, and one of the most talked-about sets of the festival.

The Album

‘Nine Inch Nails – Nine Inch Noize’ is 12 tracks of NIN classics and deep cuts — plus one How to Destroy Angels track — all run through a hard-hitting electronic filter. Think Closer rethought for a 4 AM club moment. Think Heresy and Came Back Haunted rebuilt from the bones up. It was recorded everywhere — live, studios, hotels, planes. Reznor’s note is simple: “Listen LOUD.“

‘Nine Inch Noize’ Track Listing

1. Intro (Nine Inch Noize Version)
2. Vessel (Nine Inch Noize Version)
3. She’s Gone Away (Nine Inch Noize Version)
4. Heresy (Nine Inch Noize Version)
5. Parasite (Nine Inch Noize Version) [How To Destroy Angels]
6. Copy Of A (Nine Inch Noize Version)
7. Me I’m Not (Nine Inch Noize Version)
8. Closer (Nine Inch Noize Version)
9. The Warning (Nine Inch Noize Version)
10. Memorabilia (Nine Inch Noize Version)
11. Came Back Haunted (Nine Inch Noize Version)
12. As Alive As You Need Me To Be (Nine Inch Noize Version)

Weekend One already happened, and the reviews are in — it was something special. Consequence called it “a display of cathartic intensity” and “one of Coachella 2026’s most memorable performances.” SF Gate went even further, suggesting the Sahara stage set might go down as one of the greatest festival performances of all time. Rolling Stone praised it as “a phenomenal production that feels of its time.” Brooklyn Vegan summed up the vibe perfectly: “It was a desert epic — Dune-esque.”

Mariqueen Maandig was also part of the live lineup, which gave the whole thing an extra layer of depth and made it feel less like a side project and more like a fully-realized statement. Weekend Two hits Saturday, April 18 — and yeah, you’re going to want to find a stream.

Who Is Boys Noize, Exactly?

If you’ve been sleeping on Boys Noize, this is your wake-up call. The German-Iraqi DJ and producer has been quietly (and not so quietly) shaping electronic music for two decades — remixing Daft Punk and Depeche Mode, working with Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Bon Iver, and Lady Gaga, earning a GRAMMY nomination alongside Skrillex, and running his own independent labels Boysnoize Records and the newly launched ONES and ZEROS. He’s the rare artist who can move between techno, rap, pop, and industrial without ever losing the plot. His whole thing: embrace everything, compromise nothing.

What’s Next for NIN

Reznor made it clear this is a one-off moment — there’s no surprise tour. “I’m taking Sunday off and excited to be working on new Nine Inch Nails music Monday,” he said. So while we’re all still processing ‘Nine Inch Noize,’ new NIN material is already in the works. Not a bad time to be a fan.

Pre-order / pre-save ‘Nine Inch Noize’ here.