# Add Violence

Add Violence is the fourth EP and eleventh major release by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Issued through the Null Corporation and Capitol Records on July 19, 2017, it is the second in a trilogy of releases, following the EP Not the Actual Events (2016) and preceding the band's ninth studio album Bad Witch (2018). It was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Moving away from the more aggressive nature of Not the Actual Events, the EP focused more on soundscapes and textures alongside their traditional elements, similar to that of The Fragile (1999), which resulted in more longform compositions. The release was promoted with two singles: "Less Than" and "This Isn't the Place", along with their accompanying music videos. Add Violence received a positive response from critics, and reached No. 17 on the U.S. charts.

## Themes and composition

In an interview with Zane Lowe, Reznor said:
   When we did Not the Actual Events, we were really seduced by the violence of it. The kind of throwing Hesitation Marks out the window and being unafraid to explore approaches we have in the past with the kind of, you know, punch in the face feel to it. And I think that the length of a five-song EP felt like the right length for that, you know? And to repeat that isn't as exciting anymore. It's like we did that. So now as we expand the lyrical viewpoint of this three song trilogy, the music that was interesting to us this time around kind of surprised us. And "Less Than" is not entirely representative of where the rest of the EP goes. So this collection of five songs feels like brothers.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10 |
| Metacritic | 77/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | B− |
| Consequence of Sound | B |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10 |
| The Independent | |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 7/10 |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.2/5 |
Critical reception for the EP was generally positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the EP received an average score of 77, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Gavin Miller from Drowned in Sound gave the EP a score of 8 out of 10, writing that "it's a little light on substance, but what we do get is a really fascinating insight into where Reznor is at with NIN at the moment". Kory Grow of Rolling Stone also gave the EP a positive review, saying that it "contains all the aggression, abjection and self-loathing that solidified Reznor's position as alt-rock's Original Angster but with the measured restraint of a man his age".

## Track listing

All tracks written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

## Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

### Nine Inch Nails

* Trent Reznor – songwriting, arranging, production, programming, performance
* Atticus Ross – songwriting, arranging, production, programming, performance

### Additional musicians

* Sharlotte Gibson – additional vocals ("Less Than")
* Allison Iraheta – additional vocals ("Less Than")

### Technical

* 42 Entertainment – world integration and execution
* Tom Baker – mastering
* John Crawford – art direction
* Corey Holms – additional design
* Chris Holmes – engineering
* Church Lieu – additional concept development
* Dustin Mosley – engineering
* Alan Moulder – mixing
* Jun Murakawa – engineering
* Geoff Neal – engineering
* Chris Richardson – engineering

## Charts

| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 44 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 67 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 15 |
| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ) | 4 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) | 74 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 36 |
| US Billboard 200 | 17 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) | 6 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) | 5 |

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label |
| Worldwide | July 19, 2017 | Digital download | The Null Corporation/Capitol Records |
| Worldwide | July 21, 2017 | Streaming | The Null Corporation/Capitol Records |
| Worldwide | September 1, 2017 | CD | The Null Corporation/Capitol Records |
| Worldwide | November 17, 2017 | Vinyl | The Null Corporation/Capitol Records |