According to theprp, indie rock band Car Seat Headrest released their own rendition of the 1994 Nine Inch Nails’ single “March Of The Pigs” last week. The cover is a part of MADLO: Influences, one of two companion EPs that were released on June 22, a year after their last album Making A Door Less Open dropped.

The EP features four covers including “March Of The Pigs” that NME reports influenced Car Seat Headrest’s frontman and songwriter Will Toledo during the writing of their last album.

Car Seat Headrest’s version of “March Of The Pigs” features a clean and crisp sound that embraces a minimalist production while keeping the industrial feel of the original 1994 recording. Toledo can be heard emulating Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s loose vocals and energy. With no major lyric changes, Toledo agrees with Reznor’s criticism of society’s superficiality.

However, the original song’s “dirty” guitars are left behind in favor of a structured guitar background that drives the majority of the cover. Most notably, the band’s rendition leaves out the 1994 version’s signature piano breakdown. The cover seems to be more live performance-friendly compared to the original due to its departure from Nine Inch Nails’ chaotic and overwhelming arrangement. 

In essence, Car Seat Headrest manages to pay homage to the Nine Inch Nails’ “March Of The Pigs” (or as die hard NIN fans would call it “Halo 7”) by replicating the original version’s energy and attitude while using their own sound and arrangement to create a simpler interpretation. 

Car Seat Headrest’s cover of “March Of The Pigs” and its parent EP MADLO: Influences are out now. 

Photo credit: Kalyn Oyer