heavier than "pretty hate machine", "broken" takes influences from industrial metal bands such as ministry and godflesh. there are louder mixes and more distortion on every instrument, including john lennon's mellotron mkii heard most particularly on "gave up". reznor said he wanted the album to be "an ultra-fast chunk of death" for the listener, something that would "make your ears a little scratchy". in the liner notes, reznor credited the 1991 nine inch nails touring band as an influence on the ep's sound.