Black Mass

Tom Holkenborg's score available

WaterTower Music has released Tom Holkenborg's score to Black Mass. The film is directed by Scott Cooper and is starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Dakota Johnson. Black Mass takes place in 1970s South Boston as FBI Agent John Connolly (Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger (Depp) to collaborate with the FBI in order to eliminate their common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance as it spirals out of control.

Tom Holkenborg was tapping into the heart of the film with an orchestral score featuring piano, strings and woodwinds, Holkenborg created a dark theme for Bulger punctuated by a reoccurring low frequency pattern played by an ensemble of cellos. Mirroring Depp’s character in the movie, the composer transitions the vibe of Bulger’s theme by shifting the instrumentation and changing the key of the harmony for the scenes with Bulger and his wife. Holkenborg also incorporated sound design from a piano by beating the piano strings with a stick to create a deep, ominous sound for one of the most evil, notorious gangsters in American history. “Jimmy (Depp) is such an evil person, and while being so incredibly dark, there is also a lot of nuance to his character. The music needed to not only reflect him at his worst, but also needed to capture the relationship he had with his wife. His relationship with Agent Connelly was also important. I juxtaposed their themes and would use them to play off each other as the characters do in the film,” stated Holkenborg.

Tom Holkenborg has built a reputation on musical experimentation. The Grammy-nominated multi-platinum selling producer and composer’s versatility puts him at the vanguard of film composition and on the cutting edge of contemporary music. He is able to draw on his extensive knowledge of classical forms and structures while maintaining a connection with popular music. His recent film credits include the critically acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road, Run All Night, Divergent, and 300: Rise of an Empire. Holkenborg’s upcoming projects include Warner Bros.’ Point Break, inspired by the classic 1991 hit film of the same name, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which he is collaborating on with Oscar® winning composer Hans Zimmer. Junkie XL has collaborated with Zimmer on several projects including The Amazing Spiderman 2, Man of Steel, Shark Tale, and one of the highest-grossing films of all-time, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Track list


1. Black Mass Opening Title 1:10
2. Boston Crime Lord 3:15
3. John Collolly 1:56
4. Bulger Burial Ground 1:21
5. My Boy 4:05
6. Don’t Wake Him Up 3:06
7. You Got Two Minutes 1:24
8. Asprin 1:13
9. No Drugs, No Murder 1:46
10. I Will Pull The Plug Myself 2:36
11. When You Wake Up In The Morning 2:33
12. It’s Just The Beginning 3:57
13. Martorano 3:46
14. Did You Ever See Whitey Bulger Murder Anyone? 2:44
15. Thanks to Whitey 2:17
16. Jimmy and Marianne 2:40
17. You’ll Be Sorry 2:06
18. Boston Globe 4:15
19. Valhalla 3:22
20. Strictly Criminal 4:55
21. Take Care Kid 6:59