Hesitation Marks
2013 studio album by Nine Inch Nails
Hesitation Marks is the eighth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It was the band's first release in five years, following The Slip (2008), as well as their only release on Columbia. Like previous albums, the album was produced by frontman Trent Reznor alongside longtime collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. To date, this is the most recent Nine Inch Nails album to be co-produced by Moulder.
The album's title is derived from the term "hesitation marks", which is used to describe marks that are produced by testing a bladed weapon before attempting suicide or self-harming. The cover art also varies for each edition of the album. The record was promoted with three singles: "Came Back Haunted", "Copy of a", and "Everything", as well as the Twenty Thirteen Tour and two accompanying extended plays, Live 2013 EP and Remix 2014 EP. The digital version of the album was made available in two different masters: a standard version and one with extended dynamic range to cater to audiophiles.
Hesitation Marks received positive reviews from critics, with the new sound attracting praise, which some found to be a natural evolution from their previous work. The album reached number three in the US, their highest-charting album since Year Zero, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background
In February 2009, Trent Reznor stated, "I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while", indicating the possible end of the act.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Hesitation Marks” as 2013 studio album by Nine Inch Nails. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 2013 studio album by Nine Inch Nails. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q13420235. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2013, 2008, 2014 and 2009.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hesitation Marks”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hesitation Marks primary sources, Hesitation Marks archive and Hesitation research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hesitation Marks”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hesitation Marks” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.