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Since the beginning of cinema, certain music created for specific movies has experienced an entirely separate life. Paul McCartney’s song “Live and Let Die” is probably slightly more famous than the Roger Moore-led James Bond film it was created for. The Mission: Impossible theme, composed by Lalo Schifrin, no longer reminds people of the 1967 TV series. And, arguably, Daft Punk’s 2010 soundtrack for Tron: Legacy is similar: The sick beats of that score have a life and vibe outside of their purpose in that movie. So, with Nine Inch Nails taking on the score for Tron: Ares, there’s a strange double expectation here. First, does NIN give us a good Tron score? Second, does the music work on its own?
The Nine Inch Nails Tron: Ares soundtrack has just been released on Apple Music and Spotify, so, right now, even though the movie’s not out yet, you can get a sneak peek at the overall sonic landscape of the new film. What’s the verdict? Do Nine Inch Nails top Daft Punk?
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Nine Inch Nails’ “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” Is a High Point
Unlike Tron: Legacy, the Tron: Ares soundtrack has one very big song with vocals, the Nine Inch Nails track “As Alive As You Need Me To Be.” This song is easily the stand-out on the new soundtrack, and probably could have been a standalone single from the band even if Tron: Ares didn’t exist. Longtime NIN frontman Trent Reznor sounds appropriately badass here, and the thumping beats recall the best of the band’s industrial rock history.
The meaning of “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” within the context of Tron gestures at the larger ideas of the franchise: living computer programs, trying to figure out what it means to be alive. For NIN, this feels close to themes the band has been playing with for decades. This isn’t to say “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” is a remake of “The Perfect Drug” or “Closer,” but it shares the same DNA with those songs; Tronified a bit.
As a Soundtrack, NIN’s Tron: Ares Doesn’t Beat Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy
Although the single from Tron: Ares is a banger, what about the rest of the album? Well, as a soundtrack to a new Tron movie, Nine Inch Nails has done a great job. There’s a good mix of the cyberpunk vibe we came to expect from Legacy, but with a more melancholic mood. If Daft Punk’s Legacy was a kind of dance album designed to work well with disc battles, NIN’s Ares feels like music for a slow-motion LightCycle chase. It’s propulsive music, but it’s not quite as catchy as Daft Punk.
To put it in a slightly unfair way, the only problem with Nine Inch Nails’ Tron: Ares soundtrack is that Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy soundtrack already exists. Had that not been the case, and we existed in a different timeline, the Tron: Ares soundtrack would feel like a big upgrade for the franchise. Because, as much as the Wendy Carlos synthesizer score from the 1982 film is great, Daft Punk made this living videogame world into the kind of party you never wanted to leave.
Whereas Daft Punk was able to turn incidental movie music into memorable hits (“Derezzed,” “The Game Has Changed,’ “End of Line,” to name just a few), NIN only comes close to this kind of thing with the opening track “Init,” which feels like what would happen if NIN made a Tangerine Dream song. It’s excellent. It’s very Tron-ish. It’s just possible that 15 years later, Daft Punk is still a smidge better.
Tron: Ares hits theaters on October 10, 2025.
This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Sep 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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