Difference between revisions of "Not The Actual Events"

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Halo 29: Not The Actual Events
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Vinyl cover art

Physical component

Not The Actual Events (also known as Halo 29) is the second proper EP from Nine Inch Nails. It was released digitally on December 23, 2016, though pre-orders through nin.com allowed for a download one day early. This EP acts as the first installment of a trilogy, preceding the 2017 release of Add Violence and the 2018 release of Bad Witch. This is the first release to include Atticus Ross as an official member of NIN.

Track List

"Branches/Bones" – 1:46
"Dear World," – 4:06
"She's Gone Away" – 6:00
"The Idea Of You" – 3:27
"Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" – 5:50

Formats

Physical component package

In addition to a wide digital release, the EP was offered through nin.com in two other formats. One was a single-sided vinyl, and the other was a digital + "physical component for you to deal with" version. The physical component includes thick card stock papers containing song lyrics, various images and soot that will cover your hands upon opening. Many different unique variants have been reported. The EP was released on CD on November 17, 2017.

The warning sticker on the physical component's outer packaging reads:

To be read IN ITS ENTIRETY before opening. Actions have consequences! N.T.A.E. may contain subversive elements that produce feelings of euphoria and may be harmful and unsettling to the consumer. Likewise, this physical package may lead to unrealized expectations or unexpected results upon opening. Caution should be exercised with both. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT... This will make a mess. By opening this envelope in any way, you assume all risks to your person and/or property, and waive any claim against The Null Corporation, any of its subsidiaries or affiliated entities from any and all damages or harm you may incur.

Side B of the vinyl version features 3 additional, unlisted tracks from The Downward Spiral in reverse: "Hurt", "The Downward Spiral" and "Reptile". The vinyl also had a small amount of the black dust in its package, with smudges and fingerprints already on the sleeve and the record. There are also two variants of the lyric sheet, with one in blue and one in red.

About

The EP was first acknowledged by Trent Reznor on December 17, 2016 in a post on nin.com:

"It's an unfriendly, fairly impenetrable record that we needed to make. It's an EP because that ended up being the proper length to tell that story".

In June 2017, it was announced that Not The Actual Events is the first in a trilogy of related EPs to be released 6-8 months apart. The second EP, Add Violence, was announced the following month. The third release, the now album-length Bad Witch, was announced in May 2018.

The official nin.com website description states:

"PART ONE OF A THREE EP TRILOGY OF RECORDS. UNAPOLOGETIC, UNFRIENDLY, DENSE, LYRICALLY COMPLEX, SO-FAR-BEHIND-THE-TIMES-IT’S-AHEAD-OF-ITS-TIME, HIPSTER-REPELLING UNCOMPROMISING MUSIC SMART PEOPLE CAN FUCK TO. IT MAY NOT BE FOR YOU."

In an interview with Zane Lowe[1], Reznor somewhat explained the concept underlying each piece of the trilogy:

"Let me drop some cryptic information on you. The idea of this three EP thing was all to find truth in us figuring out who we are now and how we fit into the world. The first EP, Not The Actual Events, was meant to be from a personal angry self-destructive reflection on that question and defining how I feel in a world, that feels stranger, part of that’s aging. Part of that’s because the world is getting weirder. Finding your place in a world that looks different every day little bit changes and reacting to that in the first EP through anger and self-destruction and setting a match to your life.
The second EP, Add Violence, was meant to the same question. But looking for answers externally. Maybe it’s because of this and there’s comfort in that. Maybe there’s a reason things feel kind of crazy and it’s not that I’m insane, that I’m in a situation that’s insane.

And with the third EP which has grown into an LP (Bad Witch). It was coming to one final look at that question from rejecting what EP number two says, and it wasn’t an easy answer… The entire system has a much more bleak and pessimistic outlook and I want to say too much because it gives away kind of the what the thing is. But it wasn’t necessarily what we thought it was going to be when we started. I thought it was going to go more science fiction. I don’t really want to overwhelm you with cleverness and deep diving and part of that felt like an arms race and it also felt like a cop out."

EP title

The EP's title, Not The Actual Events, is derived from the descrambled lyrics found within "Branches/Bones": Allowing myself to feel a sense of comfort in the past. Not the actual events but the way I choose to remember them and you.

Artwork

The cover artwork harks back to that of And All That Could Have Been and Still. There are seven known variants of the digital art, including the final version.

Official digital artwork - Origin: NIN.com
Alternate digital artwork #1 - Origin: Instagram
Alternate digital artwork #2 - Origin: Facebook
Alternate digital artwork #3 - Origin: Embedded in first 2016 digital files
Alternate digital artwork #4 - Origin: Apple Music
Alternate digital artwork #5 - Origin: Embedded in corrected early 2017 digital files
Alternate digital artwork #6 - Origin: hidden in nin.com website
Digital and physical component credits sheet

Credits

Nine Inch Nails: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Mix: Alan Moulder and Atticus Ross
Track 3 + Mariqueen Maandig
Track 4 + Dave Grohl
Track 5 + Dave Navarro
Mastering: Tom Baker at Baker Mastering
Engineering: Dustin Mosely, Jun Murakawa, Chris Richardson, Chris Holmes
Art Direction: John Crawford
Additional Design: Corey Holms
Special Packaging: Jeff Anderson (Artist In Residence)
Management: Silva Artist Management

All songs written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Published by Form And Texture (ASCAP)/Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing
Published by Songs In The Key of Mink (BMI) Administered by Downtown DMP Songs (BMI)

External Links

Discography

Previous release - "Hesitation Marks"

Halo number: 29

Next release - "The Fragile: Deviations 1"

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 The second EP, ''Add Violence'', was meant to the same question. But looking for answers externally. Maybe it’s because of this and there’s comfort in that. Maybe there’s a reason things feel kind of crazy and it’s not that I’m insane, that I’m in a situation that’s insane.
 <br>
-And with third EP which has grown into an LP (''Bad Witch''). It was coming to one final look at that question from rejecting what EP number two says, and it wasn’t an easy answer… The entire system has a much more bleak and pessimistic outlook and I want to say too much because it gives away kind of the what the thing is. But it wasn’t necessarily what we thought it was going to be when we started. I thought it was going to go more science fiction. I don’t really want to overwhelm you with cleverness and deep diving and part of that felt like an arms race and it also felt like a cop out."</blockquote>
+And with the third EP which has grown into an LP (''Bad Witch''). It was coming to one final look at that question from rejecting what EP number two says, and it wasn’t an easy answer… The entire system has a much more bleak and pessimistic outlook and I want to say too much because it gives away kind of the what the thing is. But it wasn’t necessarily what we thought it was going to be when we started. I thought it was going to go more science fiction. I don’t really want to overwhelm you with cleverness and deep diving and part of that felt like an arms race and it also felt like a cop out."</blockquote>
 ==EP title==