"God Break Down the Door" is a song by American

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten ...

band Nine Inch Nails, from their ninth studio album '' Bad Witch''. It was released on May 17, 2018, coinciding with

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...

's 53rd birthday. The song features Reznor playing the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

Background and composition

American

band Nine Inch Nails released their fifth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) ''

Not the Actual Events ''Not the Actual Events'' is the fifth extended play (EP) and tenth major release by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It was released physically on December 23, 2016, under Trent Reznor's own label The Null Corporation, while those ...

'' on December 23, 2016. Six months later, frontman

announced that ''Not the Actual Events'' was the first in a series of three Nine Inch Nails EPs that would be released six to eight months apart. At the time the second installment, '' Add Violence'', was released on July 13, 2017, Reznor told ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' that he had "no idea what the last part of this will be". The final part of the trilogy faced delays as Reznor believed the original concept "felt too predictable ... like we were forcing things". As the songwriting process dragged on, the band decided to incorporate elements that they considered "exciting and risky", such as incorporating

. Reznor explained the song originated from his desire to "get his technique back" on playing the

, which he had sporadically played for 20 years. In addition to the saxophone, the song prominently features acid house breakbeats and what is described as a "frantic drumbeat", and has been described by critics as jazz fusion, electro-jazz, and

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

. Reznor described the writing of the song, stating

Release and reception

"God Break Down the Door" was announced and released as the lead single and fourth track to '' Bad Witch'' on May 17, 2018. The song premiered on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

's Beats 1 show on

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' named the song "Best New Track", comparing it to the works of '' Outside''-era

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, stating: "While the reference points are immediately obvious, the impact of 'God Break Down the Door' is in just how different it sounds for Reznor. And it's not only his voice. There's a new energy in the arrangement: a constantly shifting thing full of frenzied marimba and apocalyptic squelches that zaps the throwback crunch of the last two NIN EPs into dust."

Personnel

– vocals, saxophone, production *

Atticus Ross Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for '' The Social Network'' in 2010. In 2013, th ...

– performance, production

References

{{authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs The Null Corporation singles Nine Inch Nails songs Industrial rock songs Songs written by Trent Reznor Songs written by Atticus Ross