Claim: Year Zero's music and lyrics were written by Trent Reznor.

Year Zero is the fifth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails , released on April 17 , 2007 by Interscope Records . Frontman Trent Reznor wrote the album 's music and lyrics while touring in support of the band 's previous album With Teeth -LRB- 2005 -RRB- . In contrast to the introspective style of songwriting Reznor used on previous albums , Year Zero is a concept album that criticizes contemporary policies of the United States government by presenting a dystopian vision of the year 2022 .   The album is part of a larger Year Zero project which includes a remix album , an alternate reality game and a potential television or film project . The Year Zero alternate reality game expanded upon the album 's fictional storyline by using media such as websites , pre-recorded phone messages , and murals . However , disputes arose between Reznor and Universal Music Group , the parent company of Interscope Records , over overseas pricing of the album . In October 2007 , Reznor announced that Nine Inch Nails had fulfilled its contractual commitments to Interscope , effectively ending the band 's relationship with the label ; thus Year Zero was the last Nine Inch Nails studio album released on the Interscope label .   Upon its release in April 2007 , Year Zero sold over 187,000 copies in its first week and reached number two on the US Billboard 200 chart . The album also received generally positive reviews , many of which were also favorable toward the accompanying alternate reality game . Year Zero spawned the singles `` Survivalism '' and `` Capital G '' .