Maps of Music

The Slip (2008)

Where the lyrics of The Slip take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded in three weeks at Reznor's home studio and released free online, the album still reached number 13 on the Billboard 200.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Originally intended as an EP, later expanded into a full-length album
In 2007 Reznor announced the band had met its obligations to Interscope Records and would no longer work with the label
Reznor said future material would likely be distributed independently
Written soon after Ghosts I–IV, after about a month of work
Live members Josh Freese, Robin Finck and Alessandro Cortini contributed small instrumental parts, not songwriting
Single 'Discipline' was sent to radio before the rest of the album was finished

Recorded over three weeks of studio time at Reznor's in-home studio
Engineered by Atticus Ross, mixed by Alan Moulder
Reznor described the sound simply as 'garage electronics'
Track listing and lyrics were finished on a Wednesday, and the album was released on Sunday, 5 May

Formed in 1988 in Cleveland, Ohio, by singer-songwriter Trent Reznor.
Reznor was the sole permanent member until Atticus Ross officially joined in 2016.
The first live performance took place at Graffiti in Pittsburgh on October 27, 1988.
Signed with TVT Records and later moved to Interscope Records.

Core members are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Robin Finck, Josh Freese, and Stu Brooks form the current live lineup.
Many former live members have been named, including Chris Vrenna, Danny Lohner, and Charlie Clouser.

Released Pretty Hate Machine (1989), Broken (1992), The Downward Spiral (1994), The Fragile (1999), and With Teeth (2005).
Released Year Zero (2007), Hesitation Marks (2013), Bad Witch (2018), and Ghosts V and VI (2020).
Won Grammy Awards for "Wish", "Happiness in Slavery", and "As Alive as You Need Me to Be".
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Critics praised the album's production and its unorthodox release method
Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average of 78 out of 100 from 11 critics
IGN gave the album 8.8 out of 10 and called it an amazing record
Pitchfork's Eric Harvey gave it 7.5 out of 10, saying Reznor's blend of industrial noise and ballads was at its best since The Downward Spiral
Richard Cromelin of the Los Angeles Times said it was murkier and less catchy than the last couple of regular NIN albums
Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone called giving the album away for free Reznor's most radical stunt yet
Ed Thompson of IGN heard traces of Depeche Mode, Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees in 'Discipline' and 'Echoplex'

Rolling Stone placed The Slip at number 37 on its Best of 2008 list
Reznor received the Webby Artist of the Year Award at the 2009 Webby Awards, following the online releases of The Slip and Ghosts I–IV

'Demon Seed' reuses instrumental elements from the final track of the previous all-instrumental album Ghosts I–IV.
'Discipline' was sent to radio stations less than 24 hours after Alan Moulder mastered it.
Reznor compared the quick assembly of The Slip with the much longer process of making his 1999 double album The Fragile.
The physical release was limited to 250,000 numbered units worldwide.
The Lights in the Sky tour, announced when Ghosts I–IV was released, covered 25 dates in North America.