With shadowy beauty and searing intensity, Nine Inch Nails—the long-running project of multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Trent Reznor—expanded the scope of mainstream music. Scrutinizing humanity, relationships, and society, Reznor shapes deeply internalized thoughts into accessible, exciting sound. 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine brought this introspective curiosity (“Down In It,” “Terrible Lie”) and synth-heavy industrial rock (“Head Like a Hole”) to a broad audience, while 1994’s The Downward Spiral and 1999’s The Fragile stunned with coarse guitars (“The Day the World Went Away”) and striking ferocity (“Closer”). Nine Inch Nails continuously evolves—experimenting with new formats and ideas, including 2007’s turbulent “Survivalism” and the textured minimalism of 2013’s “Copy of A.” Unbounded by convention, Reznor has upended relationships with labels in order to safeguard his artistic freedom, and forged creative alliances with outsider champions like David Bowie, Saul Williams, and David Lynch, while longtime collaborator Atticus Ross became the only other official member of Nine Inch Nails in 2016.