Prolific musicians and Nine Inch Nails band members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are at it again. The duo have scored several films as of late, including the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War, for which they composed over two hours of music. Today, it has been announced that they also created the theme music for The Fourth Estate, a Showtime documentary series from acclaimed director Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?).
The collaboration with a Showtime program is not a new venture for the duo, as they famously made an appearance on the re-boot of David Lynch’s fragmented psychological drama Twin Peaks. Their contribution, “She’s Gone Away,” was hands-down one of the best songs of 2017 as well as being one of the most jarring moments in a series full of them.
Tomorrow The Fourth Estate makes its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival. The series examines the New York Times, delving into its inner workings and illuminating the issues that today’s journalist’s face. In addition to being directed by Garbus, The Fourth Estate is produced by Jenny Carchman and Justin Wilkes; the latter worked with Garbus on What Happened, Miss Simone?
Ross and Reznor started working with each other when they scored David Fincher’s The Social Network. In 2016, it was announced that Ross was now a member of Nine Inch Nails. They have released two EPs since that announcement, with the third set for release in the near future. These three EPs are apparently part of a trilogy, per an announcement that the band made in June of 2017, months after they made their return with the Not The Actual Events EP, which included a very peculiar, messy physical component.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat