| Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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.jpg) Cover of the digital version | ||||
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| Released | September 19, 2025 (2025-09-19) | |||
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| Length | 66:49 | |||
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| Nine Inch Nails chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is thesoundtrack album to the 2025film of the same name, with twenty-four tracks featuring music by American industrial rock bandNine Inch Nails. The music was written, arranged, produced, mixed,programmed, and performed byTrent Reznor andAtticus Ross and is their first film score where they are credited under their band's moniker, instead of their individual names.
AfterTron: Legacy (2010) composersDaft Punk disbanded, film producerSean Bailey arranged for Reznor and Ross to succeed them for the nextTron film, following the duo's work for Disney scoring thePixar filmSoul (2020). Departing from Daft Punk's use of an orchestra forLegacy, Nine Inch Nails did not use any orchestral material, aiming for a sound that was precise and unpleasant, and was composed in such a way that it could be enjoyed as a conventional album by the band. The album features contributions byBoys Noize,Judeline, andHudson Mohawke.
The album was released on September 19, 2025 byInterscope Records,Walt Disney Records, andThe Null Corporation, under exclusive license to Interscope. Being met with a generally positive reception, many critics and publications considered Nine Inch Nails's soundtrack to be a standout aspect amidst a generally lackluster film. Critical commentary focused on the context of the music in the film proper, the recorded songs, and the parallels to music inTron (1982) composerWendy Carlos's discography.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were chosen to score the third film entry in theTron franchise, following electronic musicianWendy Carlos'sscore toTron (1982) andFrench house duoDaft Punk'sscore toTron: Legacy (2010).[2] Daft Punk had disbanded since scoringLegacy, and at the behest ofAres producerSean Bailey, Reznor and Ross were approached by Tom MacDougall, president ofWalt Disney Music, to work onTron: Ares shortly after completing work on thesoundtrack to thePixar filmSoul (2020).[2] The duo had not before taken their band's name for a film score in their repertoire spanning over a dozen films,[3] and Disney's request about them being credited as their band was unexpected to them.[2]
The soundtrack toTron: Ares is made up ofelectronic music,[4] just as was the music of Wendy Carlos for the original film and Daft Punk forLegacy.[5] Reznor said that he was pressured not only by the expectation of succeeding Carlos and Daft Punk, but also the implications of taking the band name—he quipped that "I wake up at four in the morning slightly more often than I used to, sometimes, getting this film done".[2] While Wendy Carlos and Daft Punk used orchestras for their scores toTron andLegacy, Reznor and Ross did not utilize "one second" of orchestral music.[2] They described the sound as "precise and unpleasant at times", though not feeling it was "an atonal, punishing" score.[2] With the inclusion of original songs alongside the composed score, Reznor said that a listener could listen to the soundtrack just as they would a conventional Nine Inch Nails album.[2] The record features contributions byBoys Noize,Judeline, andHudson Mohawke.[6][1]
Nine Inch Nails's soundtrack forTron: Ares was released by The Null Corporation andWalt Disney Records, under exclusive license toInterscope Records on September 19, 2025, consisting of 24 tracks.[7][8][6]Polydor Records released the album in the United Kingdom on the same date.[9] It was released asHalo 36 in the band's album numbering system, and asNull 22 according to the duo's film score release system.[5] The single "As Alive as You Need Me to Be" was released on July 17, 2025, after the title was teased on T-shirts sold at the band'sPeel It Back Tour. It was produced with the band's collaboratorBoys Noize.[8] From September 15 for a limited time, the Nine Inch Nails score was played on theTron Lightcycle Run ride atWalt Disney World, stylized with red colors in promotion forAres.[10] On October 6, Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize performed a set at the film'sTCL Chinese Theatre premiere.[11]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10[12] |
| Metacritic | 81/100[13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Consequence | B+[4] |
| Kerrang! | 5/5[15] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[5] |
| Rolling Stone |  [16] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5[17] |
According to the review aggregatorMetacritic, the album received "generally favorable reviews" based on aweighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 8 critic scores.[13] The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled 6 reviews and gave it an average of 6.9 out of 10.[12] Many critics and publications considered Nine Inch Nails's soundtrack to be a standout aspect amidst a generally lackluster film.[25]
The artistry was the subject of critical commentary.Rolling Stone characterized the album as '80s-inspired, synth-based, minimalistic, and industrial rock, inspired by theDavid Bowie albumLow (1977). They said the artistry on songs like "Building Better Worlds" and "Empathetic Trust" reflected the "dystopian creepiness" of the film's premise of AI beings being introduced to humanity for the first time.[16]Sputnikmusic also wrote of the album's 80s influence, commenting on the relative inactivity of the band in recent times—given Reznor and Ross's success in film scores—and the application of the brand to this score.[17]AllMusic wrote that the techno-synth sensibilities brought to mind a cybernetically enhancedJohn Carpenter and followed well from Daft Punk's score, with the themes of desire and tension bringing a humanistic physicality to the album.[14]Kerrang! said that the balance of aggression and tranquility, something common in Nine Inch Nails's work, had been done—in a rare instance—with consistency owing to its context as a film score.[15]Consequence framed their appraisal around the legacy of Carlos's and Daft Punk's prior scores, considered key aspects of the franchise;[4]Pitchfork echoed this sentiment on the legacy of the franchise's music applied to this installment.[5]Consequence praised the artistic range of the instrumental score tracks, the emotion, and posited that even if the film faded into general irrelevance like the prior installments, Nine Inch Nails had made a score that would endure just as the priors did.[4]
Critics commented on the recorded songs for the album.Rolling Stone said "As Alive as You Need Me to Be" was "black gold" akin to old-school works by the band, and wrote highly of the lyrics and artistry;[16] AllMusic lauded the lead single as the clear standout and a "jolt" of an addition to other singles in the band's catalogue;[14]Sputnikmusic characterized it as "infectious, dancefloor-ready", and straightforward, a representative summary of the overall goal for the soundtrack;[17] andStereogum wrote that the lead single "genuinely kicks ass";[6] whilePitchfork characterized the vocoder refrain of the repeated "yeahs" as "truly ridiculous".[5]Rolling Stone felt "Who Wants to Live Forever?" was "dejectedly gorgeous" and that Spanish singerJudeline's assist to Reznor's "forlorn moan-croon" was, for Judeline's part, lovely and understated;[16] AllMusic wrote Reznor's vulnerability "soars" on "Who Wants to Live Forever?", alongside the harmony with Judeline;[14]Pitchfork called it "the best" of the four vocal tracks and "among the most affecting and approachable Reznor has ever written", praising the "tender, quivering duet" Reznor had with Judeline;[5]Kerrang! said it was so affecting it could make the listener contemplate their ownmortality, finding the track "gorgeous" and Judeline's duet "haunting" and graceful;[15] andSputnikmusic considered that song a highlight, praising Reznor's tenderness and Judeline's soothing delivery, feeling it was overall lovely and touching.[17]Rolling Stone felt "I Know You Can Feel It" was 90s-inspiredgrunge andtrip-hop;[16]Sputnikmusic agreed with the trip-hop appraisal, feeling it created a thrilling feeling;[17] andConsequence speculated on the meaning of the lyrics "The moment it begins" from "I Know You Can Feel It", not knowing what scene it accompanied in the narrative due to the album releasing and being reviewed three weeks before the release of the film—they wrote this was not a standout track.[4]
Critics commented on the instrumental pieces of the score.Rolling Stone wrote that the score was akin to the "beatless abstract bleakness" of the band's albumsGhosts V: Together andGhosts VI: Locusts (both 2020), withTron: Ares's droning synths, whirrs, and buzzes akin to the futurism of the score of the 1982 film. They said "Echoes" and "Infiltrator" were some of the best material on the album, and that they were nice twists on the "human hunger and android angst" long present in Reznor's work.[16] AllMusic characterized these instrumentals as categorical in either resemblingGhosts or another Reznor-Ross score—or analogous toThe Slip (2008) orHesitation Marks (2013). They pointed out the uses of the motif established in "As Alive as You Need Me to Be" in the dance club vibe of "Infiltrator" and the darkness of "Target Identified",[14]Sputnikmusic wrote that the these tracks presented distinct themes or set "atmospheric soundscapes" for the film.[17]Stereogum wrote of tracks on the album that brought to mindCarlos's score for the opening scene ofA Clockwork Orange (1971), and wrote that they found the "interstitial mood-music" on the record cool.[6]Pitchfork cited "100% Expendable" as sounding similar toA Clockwork Orange,[5] andConsequence likewise wrote that the style of "Building Better Worlds" sounded like the score for the opening scene to that film.[4] Several critics commented on the 5:1 ratio of compositions to vocal songs. AllMusic summarized the ratio with "...there are plenty of instrumental moments onTron: Ares that are just begging for vocals in a more fleshed-out version."[14]Sputnikmusic similarly pointed out the lack of vocals, and suggested that the four songs with vocals would have been suitable as anEP by itself.[17]
All tracks are written byTrent Reznor andAtticus Ross[26]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Init" | 2:07 |
| 2. | "Forked Reality" | 1:50 |
| 3. | "As Alive as You Need Me to Be" | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Echoes" | 3:46 |
| 5. | "This Changes Everything" | 2:59 |
| 6. | "In the Image Of" | 1:33 |
| 7. | "I Know You Can Feel It" | 5:21 |
| 8. | "Permanence" | 1:29 |
| 9. | "Infiltrator" | 2:47 |
| 10. | "100% Expendable" | 3:54 |
| 11. | "Still Remains" | 1:54 |
| 12. | "Who Wants to Live Forever?" (featuringJudeline) | 5:50 |
| 13. | "Building Better Worlds" | 2:11 |
| 14. | "Target Identified" | 3:24 |
| 15. | "Daemonize" | 5:09 |
| 16. | "Empathetic Response" | 2:09 |
| 17. | "What Have You Done?" | 2:14 |
| 18. | "A Question of Trust" | 1:20 |
| 19. | "Ghost in the Machine" | 1:29 |
| 20. | "No Going Back" | 1:55 |
| 21. | "Nemesis" | 1:45 |
| 22. | "New Directive" | 2:45 |
| 23. | "Out in the World" | 1:05 |
| 24. | "Shadow Over Me" | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 66:49 | |
Credits adapted fromTidal and the album liner notes.[27][26]
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] | 10 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] | 11 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] | 6 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] | 6 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] | 70 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] | 51 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[34] | 41 |
| French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP)[35] | 3 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] | 8 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[37] | 30 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[38] | 34 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[39] | 45 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[40] | 31 |
| Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[41] | 27 |
| Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan)[42] | 41 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[43] | 25 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[44] | 13 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[45] | 5 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[46] | 51 |
| Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[47] | 4 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] | 9 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[49] | 12 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[50] | 1 |
| USBillboard 200[51] | 5 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[52] | 2 |
| USTop Dance Albums (Billboard)[53] | 1 |
| USTop Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[54] | 1 |
Like Daft Punk'sLegacy score,Ares is elevated by another excellent soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails ... One of the main reasons to seeAres on the big screen rather than wait for the Disney Plus release ... is for the opportunity to hear their industrial, pulsing backdrop to the movie's action scenes through proper theatrical speakers. Otherwise,Ares doesn't reinvent the Lightcycle wheel.
The Daft Punk soundtrack was the best part ofTron: Legacy, and the Nine Inch Nails album written forTron: Ares similarly elevates even lackluster scenes.
TheTron movies have a legacy of great electronic soundtracks ...Tron: Ares continues this tradition with a new score by ... Nine Inch Nails ... It is a sonic wonder for which [they] deserve great praise.Tron: Ares has, in no uncertain terms, a great frickin' soundtrack. The movie, on other hand, completely sucks ... [The] score ties everything together. Like a diamond tennis bracelet wrapped around a garbage bag.
I will close by mentioning the one thing that I truly loved about the movie, which is the relentless Nine Inch Nails ...Tron: Ares is getting a 5. And honestly, I bumped it up from a 4 just because of Nine Inch Nails ... [The film has] little to offer outside of nostalgia and a banger of a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack ...
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