'Pretty Hate Machine' is the debut studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by TVT Records on October 20, 1989. The album consists of reworked tracks from the Purest Feeling demo tape, as well as songs composed after its original recording. Production of the record was handled by NIN frontman Trent Reznor and English producer Flood, among other contributors.
The album, which features a heavily synth-driven electronic sound blended with industrial and rock elements, bears little resemblance to the band's subsequent work. Conversely, much like the band's later work, the album's lyrics contain themes of angst, betrayal, and lovesickness. The record was promoted with the singles "Down in It", "Head Like a Hole", and "Sin", as well as the accompanying tour. A remastered edition was released in 2010.
Although the record was successful, reaching No. 75 in the US and receiving highly favorable reviews from critics, Reznor (the band's only official member until 2016) feuded with TVT over promotion of the album, which later led him to sign with Interscope Records. Pretty Hate Machine was later certified triple-platinum by RIAA, becoming one of the first independently released albums to do so, and was included on several lists of the best releases of the 1980s.
Tracklisting:
1. Head Like a Hole
2. Terrible Lie
3. Down In It
4. Sanctified
5. Something I Can Never Have
6. Kinda I Want To
7. Sin
8. That's What I Get
9. The Only Time
10. Ringfinger
