Today

Released in 2006, Today is the fourth studio album by Tom Holkenborg, better known as Junkie XL. It marks a radical departure from the big beat and industrial-trance styles that defined his early career and his work on soundtracks like SSX Blur. Influenced by the burgeoning progressive house scene and a desire for more organic songwriting, Holkenborg integrated his own acoustic guitar playing and recruited vocalist Nathan Mader to provide a consistent, human thread throughout the record. The album is notable for its expansive track lengths, particularly the ten-minute 'Youthful,' which serves as a manifesto for the album's patient, melodic approach. Critically, it was seen as a maturing of his sound, moving away from the 'maximalist' tag toward something more nuanced and atmospheric. It remains a cult favorite for fans of the 'progressive' era of electronic music, sitting comfortably between the dance-pop sensibilities of the mid-2000s and the more serious, cinematic compositions Holkenborg would later become famous for in Hollywood.