Ryan Culwell & Aubrie Sellers - "Head Like A Hole"

Going for Adds at aaa, non-ComM, and Americana

Impacting June 14th

Nashville-based artists Ryan Culwell and Aubrie Sellers join forces for a cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Head Like A Hole.” The track was released via Missing Piece Records alongside an official music video directed by Natalie Simmons in Nashville, TN. Rolling Stone called the song a "somber, haunted duet," and said, "Like Johnny Cash and Rick Rubin before them, Ryan Culwell and Aubrie Sellers reimagine a Nine Inch Nails song with chilling results." "Head Like A Hole" was recorded remotely between Nashville and Los Angeles, and was produced by Ethan Ballinger, Megan McCormick, Culwell and Sellers.

“Last summer I was up late trying to write a new song and ‘Head Like A Hole’ kept pummeling into my brain and overtaking the process,” says Culwell. “I made a quick voice memo and sent it to Ethan Ballinger and Aubrie Sellers who were both living in L.A. They encouraged me to chase the idea down and we recruited Megan McCormick into the process, so at that point I had a lot of my favorite artists working with me. We started recording tracks and flying them around from Nashville to L.A. with everyone producing different elements from their basements, kitchens, bedrooms etc. Aubrie jumped in on a verse and really took the vocal production to another level, which in turn pushed the rest of the track in new directions. Since most of us had worked together so much previously, it was really easy to work remotely. Ethan mixed the track in L.A. with notes from Aubrie and Megan and I’m really excited about what came of working with such talented producers on reimagining Trent Reznor’s master work.”

“I was a huge admirer of Ryan’s last record, so I was very excited when he asked me to work on this song with him,” says Sellers. “When he first sent over a worktape playing and singing the song, I knew it was going to be a unique rendition and something I wanted to be a part of. It’s always amazing to work with someone you love to listen to, and it’s a great time to revive this anthem.” 

“Head Like A Hole” appeared on Nine Inch Nails’ 1989 debut, Pretty Hate Machine. Combining elements of pop, hair metal, and quintessential 80’s production, Rolling Stone called the album “industrial-strength noise over a pop framework.” Culwell and Sellers have reimagined the song in their signature styles, turning the stadium anthem into an ominous and echoing incantation.

The new single is Culwell’s first release in more than three years, following 2018’s critically acclaimed album The Last American out via Missing Piece Records. Wide Open Country called the album a “poignant masterpiece” and Rolling Stone said, “It took three years for this Texas-born singer-songwriter to follow up his bleak but marvelous LP Flatlands — and this 180 from that 2015 release’s spare sound was worth the wait.”

In February of last year, Aubrie Sellers released her critically acclaimed album Far From Home, which was lauded by Rolling Stone, NPR’s World Cafe, and American Songwriter, who in their 4 star review called the album “...often riveting, never predictable.”  The album earned her two Americana Award nominations, for Emerging Artist and Song of the Year.