This is the album and video version of ‘The Space In Between’. After opening with a looped drumbeat, ambient and delayed guitars enter, followed by a deep synth strings bassline and Mariqueen Maandig's softly-sung verse. The chorus features more guitars layered on top of the differing bassline and harmonized vocals, followed by a second verse characterized by echoing Swarmatron manipulations. Even more guitars enter for the final chorus, which builds its harmonies as it repeats twice, matching the building layers of guitars. The entirety of the song cuts off suddenly at the end of the second chorus repetition.
The video, directed by Rupert Sanders (who is primarily known for creating video game advertisements) is set in a hotel room, and opens to the corridor outside. It cuts to a shot of an ajar door, and of an over-running sink, to show that something surprised the room. Once the vocals come in, we are given a shot of a recently-murdered (albeit singing) Bride (Maandig) sitting against a bed, surrounded with blood. Following close up shots show that a struggle had occurred, and show a long-burning candle near a stack of papers and a shot of another, unmoving, dead body; that of the Groom (Reznor) in a pool of his own blood. We are then shown a woman (Molly McDowell) speaking on the phone, and a man (Atticus Ross) watching motorbike racing on the hotel's television. The pair are totally oblivious to the scene beside them despite the carnage. The video shows the weapons beside both the Bride and the Groom (a glass and knife respectively), to convey to the viewer that they killed each other. The video cuts to show that the candle has ignited the stack of papers, and gives us the close up of the murdered man's face.
The remainder of the video shows the spread of the fire engulfing the corpses and their half of the room, and the apparent nonchalance of the supposed murderers. The video also reveals that there is apparently another man in the bathroom, but only his feet and hands are ever seen. The video cuts out abruptly as the Bride and Groom are totally consumed by the fire. Director Rupert Sanders has said that this video is a metaphor for how neglect can allow love to die, symbolised by the self destruction of the married couple, totally ignored by the pair opposite. The video can also be seen as a partial rebuke towards much of the negative response that Maandig and Reznor received after their engagement was made public, a reminder that everyone is human and that everyone can be hurt. From: https://www.nin.wiki/The_Space_In_Between
