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...
A1. Head Like A Hole
A2. Terrible Lie
A3. Down In It
A4. Sanctified
A5. Something I Can Never Have
B1. Kinda I Want To
B2. Sin
B3. That's What I Get
B4. The Only Time
B5. Ringfinger
