The Lovers

A fragrance inspired by Nine Inch Nails

The Lovers is an intriguing one for me, at first listen it conjured up tarot associations (which later made sense on the most recent NIN tour) so I felt like my worlds were colliding. The lyrics connect to the tarot loosely; in the tarot, the names of cards hardly ever represent the subject matter directly (ie. Death rarely signifies physical death) and The Lovers represents duality, partnership and important life choices rather than a strictly romantic association. Similarly, the lyrics in The Lovers point to (yet another) Reznor identity crisis, the exploration of the seduction of addiction and the relief of breaking free from it. The Lovers is hardly a love song, which is honestly nothing new from this band.

Sonically, The Lovers is dizzying and off-kilter, a lush soundscape of anxious energy and a jittery yet meandering tempo. I wanted to replicate the duality of The Lovers by juxtaposing a more traditional rose fragrance against modern oud and musk, with a disorienting addition of a gunpowder note. The result is a haunting and claustrophobic floral.

Note Profile:

Top: blackberry, gunpowder, spearmint, white peppercorn

Middle: cedar, magnolia, rose, smoke, ylang ylang

Base: amber, dark musk, myrrh, oud, powder, sulfur