Nine Inch Nails just dropped 2 free albums to both soothe and unnerve you in self-isolation

12 years after Trent Reznor shared the first four parts of his Ghosts instrumental series, the Nine Inch Nails frontman has, with no warning or fanfare, returned with parts five and six. Titled Together and Locusts, respectively, the releases pair immersive, hopeful tracks (Together) with more anxious ones that quietly simmer (Locusts). “Ghosts V: Together is for when things seem like it might all be okay,” Reznor and his collaborator, Atticus Ross, write in a note on the band’s website. “Ghosts VI: Locusts…well, you’ll figure it out.”

The pair reveal that they worked to finish the releases to help combat anxiety over our global pandemic. “This situation has really made us appreciate the power and need for connection,” they write. “Music—whether listening to it, thinking about it, or creating it—has always been the thing that helped us get through anything—good or bad. With that in mind, we decided to burn the midnight oil and complete these new Ghosts records as a means of staying somewhat sane.”

It’s all free, and you can download it over at the Nine Inch Nails website. Both albums will be on “all streaming services” tonight.

Read their full statement below:

FRIENDS-

WEIRD TIMES INDEED…

AS THE NEWS SEEMS TO TURN EVER MORE GRIM BY THE HOUR, WE’VE FOUND OURSELVES VACILLATING WILDLY BETWEEN FEELING LIKE THERE MAY BE HOPE AT TIMES TO UTTER DESPAIR – OFTEN CHANGING MINUTE TO MINUTE. ALTHOUGH EACH OF US DEFINE OURSELVES AS ANTISOCIAL-TYPES WHO PREFER BEING ON OUR OWN, THIS SITUATION HAS REALLY MADE US APPRECIATE THE POWER AND NEED FOR CONNECTION.

MUSIC – WHETHER LISTENING TO IT, THINKING ABOUT IT OR CREATING IT – HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE THING THAT HELPED US GET THROUGH ANYTHING – GOOD OR BAD. WITH THAT IN MIND, WE DECIDED TO BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL AND COMPLETE THESE NEW GHOSTS RECORDS AS A MEANS OF STAYING SOMEWHAT SANE.

GHOSTS V: TOGETHER IS FOR WHEN THINGS SEEM LIKE IT MIGHT ALL BE OKAY, AND GHOSTS VI: LOCUSTS… WELL, YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT.

IT MADE US FEEL BETTER TO MAKE THESE AND IT FEELS GOOD TO SHARE THEM. MUSIC HAS ALWAYS HAD A WAY OF MAKING US FEEL A LITTLE LESS ALONE IN THE WORLD… AND HOPEFULLY IT DOES FOR YOU, TOO. REMEMBER, EVERYONE IS IN THIS THING TOGETHER AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN SOON.

BE SMART AND SAFE AND TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.

WITH LOVE,

TRENT & ATTICUS

Earlier this year, the pair scored acclaim for the bounty of music they made for HBO’s Watchmen series.