In an interview promoting Apple Music, Trent Reznor mentioned he has started "messing around with some things" in regards to a new Nine Inch Nails album, stating, "It's not a record I'm trying to finish in a month. It's more just feeling around in the dark and seeing what sounds interesting." In December 2015, Reznor reported that "Nine Inch Nails will return in 2016". He and Atticus Ross later scored the official soundtracks for Before the Flood and Patriot's Day in 2016. In December 2016, Reznor commented on his statement regarding Nine Inch Nails' return by the end of the year: "Those words did come out of my mouth, didn't they? [...] Just wait and see what happens." Three days later, Reznor announced Not the Actual Events, along with reissues of Nine Inch Nails' previous releases.