Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and collaborator Atticus Ross’ score to the new HBO Watchmen series is getting a vinyl release.
The score is being broken down into three volumes to be released on November 4, November 25 and December 16, respectively. Each volume will be pressed on 180 gram vinyl and have its own exclusive artwork that, according to the Nine Inch Nails website, “explores the culture of ‘Watchmen’ America and provides revealing insights into the saga’s mythology and mysteries.” Much about the packaging and tracklists are still very secretive, though the NIN website does list “How the West Was Really Won” as the first track of the first volume.
Reznor and Ross’ attachment to the project was announced in September 2018. Said show creator Damon Lindelof in an Instagram post at the time, “I called HBO while we were still writing the pilot and begged them to consider pursuing the brilliant Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross as composers. ‘That’s so weird…’ HBO responded, ‘They just called US asking about Watchmen.’ Turns out Trent and Atticus are as big fans of the original masterwork as I am of Trent and Atticus.”
For nearly a decade, Reznor and Ross have been dominating the film score space, writing the music for The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, Birdbox and more. The duo won an Oscar for their work on The Social Network and a Grammy for their work on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. They are currently working on music for the upcoming Pixar film Soul. Watchmen is their first foray into scoring for television.
Watchmen premiered on HBO Sunday (October 20). The story is set three decades after the original Alan Moore / Dave Gibbons graphic novel series of the same name. According to early numbers, about 1.5 million households watched the premiere, making it the premium cable network’s best debut since that of Westworld in 2016.
All three volumes of the Watchmen score are available for pre-sale on the Nine Inch Nails website and Amazon now.
It’s only just begun. @trent_reznor and Atticus Ross of @nineinchnails. #WatchmenHBO pic.twitter.com/SamwxyGjO5
— Watchmen (@watchmen) October 19, 2019
