Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)

Broken is an extended play (EP) by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on September 22, 1992, by Nothing and Interscope Records.

It serves as a more aggressive and abrasive follow-up to their debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. Characterized by its heavier guitar riffs, screamed vocals, and generally darker themes, Broken sees Nine Inch Nails pushing further into industrial metal and alternative rock territories.

The EP contains eight tracks, with two additional untitled hidden tracks at the end of the CD version. Notable songs include "Wish" (which won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1993), "Happiness in Slavery," and "Gave Up." The EP also features a cover of Pigface's "Suck."

The overall lyrical content of Broken deals with themes of anger, frustration, nihilism, and rebellion. Trent Reznor, the principal member of Nine Inch Nails, described the EP as a reaction to the label pressure and creative constraints he felt after the success of Pretty Hate Machine.

Broken was accompanied by a short film conceived by Reznor and co-directed by Peter Christopherson (of Coil). The film, Broken Movie, is extremely graphic and violent, and it was never officially released in its entirety due to its controversial content. Parts of it were used in the music video for "Happiness in Slavery."

Despite its relatively short length, Broken is considered a significant and influential work in the industrial rock genre. It was a commercial success, reaching platinum certification by the RIAA. The raw intensity and visceral nature of the EP influenced many subsequent artists.