As hinted at earlier this year, Nine Inch Nails will be releasing new music before the end of 2016.

The brand new five track EP, Not The Actual Events, comes in two formats. Both of which feature the digital download, available 12:01am PST on Friday December 23. The first is 180g single-sided vinyl, and the second is a unique limited physical component version.

According to the band, “the intention of this record is for it to exist in the physical world, just like you... we will ship the proper physical component to your house for you to deal with, while very limited supplies last.” The physical component will be dispatched in January, with the vinyl following in the spring.

NiN’s mainman Trent Reznor has made long-time collaborator, and fellow Oscar recipient, Atticus Ross a full member of the group. It’s the first time anyone other then Reznor has officially been part of Nine Inch Nails.

The self-released EP is “an unfriendly, fairly impenetrable record that we needed to make” says Reznor. “It’s an EP because that ended up being the proper length to tell that story.”

Interestingly, Reznor is reissuing the band’s back catalogue on vinyl. The albums have been remastered and The Fragile includes extensive bonus material from himself and Ross. Together with the physical aspects of the new EP, he has posted a “Vinyl Mission Statement” on the NiN website.

The man who is Chief Creative Officer at Apple Music feels that “digital formats and streaming are great and certainly convenient, but the ideal way I’d hope a listener experience my music is to grab a great set of headphones, sit with the vinyl, drop the needle, hold the jacket in your hands looking at the artwork (with your fucking phone turned off) and go on a journey with me.

The canvas of artwork, the weight of the record, the smell of the vinyl, the dropping of the needle, the difficulty of skipping tracks, the changing of sides, the secrets hidden within, and having a physical object that exists in the real world with you… all part of the experience and magic.”

Interesting. And definitely unrelated to vinyl sales outstripping a declining download market.

Tracklist

01. Branches/bones

02. Dear world,

03. She's gone away

04. The idea of you

05. Burning bright (field on fire)

The EP and vinyl reissues are available from http://hyperurl.co/ninstore.

The first three acts confirmed to play next year’s Indiependence music festival in Cork have been announced today. The 12^th annual festival at Deer Farm in Mitchelstown will play host to Manic Street Preachers, The Coronas, and Sigma from August 4-6 2017.

Last year’s Indiependence was headlined by Editors, Bell X1, The Kooks, Ash, and Walking On Cars with the likes of BARQ, MINDRIOTmt Mt, Bitch Falcon, Oh Boland, The Strypes, Idlewild, Wyvern Lingo, The Frank And Walters, King Kong Company, Otherkin and Saint Sister also playing over the weekend.

Welsh rockers, Manic Street Preachers make their very first appearance at Indiependence but they are no strangers to headline slots after playing at Glastonbury, T in the Park, V Festival and Reading. The Manics have won eleven NME Awards, eight Q Awards and four BRIT Awards and their anthemic tunes will rock the Rebel County in August.

Four years since they last headlined the festival, The Coronas return. The band's latest album, The Long Way, has already achieved platinum sales, with a new album out in 2017.

Leeds drum n bass duo Sigma have already sold over 3 million singles from their 2015 debut album Life, and had two Number 1 singles with ‘Nobody To Love’ and ‘Changing’.

Ticket info:

Early bird tickets sold out within 24 hours and fans will be happy to hear that subsequent ticket tiers will remain at 2016 prices – there will be no increase in the price of any indie tickets in 2017.

3-Day Weekend Camping – €119

VIP Indie Garden Upgrade – €50

Tickets are available online at www.tickets.ie with a limited amount for sale at Mitchelstown Post Office.