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Low Roar

Low Roar
Karazija in 2012.
Karazija in 2012.
Background information
OriginReykjavík, Iceland
Genres
Years active2011–2022
Past membersRyan Karazija
Websitelowroarmusic.com

Low Roar was an Iceland-based post-rock/electronica project founded by American immigrant Ryan Karazija.[1] Originally a solo act, the band later added musicians Leifur Björnsson and Logi Guðmundsson.[2]

After releasing five albums spanning over a decade, the band and the project itself were discontinued following the death of Karazija in October 2022. However, a posthumous sixth album was released on February 7th, 2025.

History

[edit]

After leading the California-based indie rock band Audrye Sessions from 2002 to 2010, Karazija relocated to Reykjavík, Iceland and started the new project Low Roar, releasing a self-titled album in 2011.[3][4][5][6] A second album, 0, was released in 2014 through Tonequake Records,[7] followed by Once in a Long, Long While... in mid-2017.[8] The Low Roar album, ross., was released in November 2019,[9] and the fifth album maybe tomorrow... was released in July 2021. A sixth album, titled House in the Woods, was released on February 7, 2025.

The band's discography features heavily in the 2019 video game Death Stranding,[10][11] following a collaboration with video game designer Hideo Kojima, after Kojima chanced upon their music while in a CD shop in Reykjavík.[12] Kojima described Low Roar's music as "sensual" and "unique".[12] When Sony first contacted the band to license their music for Death Stranding, the band was struggling, with much of their music being recorded on a laptop in Karazija's kitchen. The use of Low Roar's music in the video game had a significant positive influence on the band's popularity.[13]

In 2021, they recorded the song "Feels" for the mobile game Arknights, later released in full under the title "Fade Away" on their 2021 album.[14] Their song "Help Me" plays over the end credits of the 2021 film Flee.

On 29 October 2022, it was announced that Ryan Karazija, founder and lead singer of the band, had died at the age of 40. Hours later, it was revealed that the cause of death was from complications with pneumonia.[15][16]

On October 27, 2024, producer Andrew Scheps announced that the sixth album, House in the Woods, was finished, along with a release date of February 7, 2025. Additionally, Scheps announced two singles to support the album; "Field of Dreams", releasing on December 6, and a second single releasing January 3, titled "Just How It Goes".

The 2025 video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach features a handful of their songs, including "Field Of Dreams" and "Just How It Goes" from the sixth album as well as in-game posters referencing the band. The end credits also has a tribute message to Karazija and the band.[17] A concert tour, titled Death Stranding: Strands of Harmony, will run from late 2025 to early 2026 and feature songs composed by Karazija.[18]

House in the Woods

[edit]
House in the Woods
Cover art hand-painted by Chatham Forbes Jr.
Studio album by
Low Roar
ReleasedFebruary 7, 2025
Recorded2022–2024
Length52:04
LanguageEnglish
LabelTonequake Records
Producer
Low Roar chronology
maybe tomorrow...
(2021) 		House in the Woods
(2025)
Singles from House in the Woods
  1. "Field of Dreams"
    Released: December 6, 2024
  2. "Just How It Goes"
    Released: January 3, 2025

House in the Woods is the sixth and final studio album by Low Roar, released on February 7, 2025 through Tonequake Records.[19][20][21] It features vocals from Karazija, who died in October of 2022 but had recorded all of his parts for the album prior to his death.[22][23] The songs "Field of Dreams" and "Just How It Goes" were released as singles.[24][25]

Background

[edit]

On September 20, 2022, lead vocalist Karazija posted on social media announcing the band's discography was going to be released on limited edition vinyl, along with mentioning a "new album called 'house in the woods'" in the same post.[26]

After Karazija's death, it was also announced that a sixth album would be eventually released.[27][28][29]

Over the course of 2023, producer Andrew Scheps would give updates on the band's social media about physical media releases and, at the end of the year, would give more updates regarding the production of the final album[30] with periodic updates being posted throughout 2024. On October 27, 2024, Scheps announced that the album was completed and would be released on February 7, 2025.[20][23] The announcement also revealed the release date for two singles off the album; the lead single "Field of Dreams" on December 6,[31][24] and a second single on January 3, later revealed to be the song "Just How It Goes."[22][25]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Some Day Come Back to Me"3:33
2."Field of Dreams"4:21
3."Just How It Goes"5:13
4."None of your Business"5:37
5."Mom"5:22
6."Estella"2:20
7."Double Trouble"7:04
8."Two Worlds Apart"6:48
9."Gone Fishing"5:10
10."InterStella"1:29
11."House in the Woods"5:01
Total length:52:04

Personnel

[edit]

Low Roar

Additional personnel

  • Jarle Storløkken [no] – string arrangement on "None Of Your Business"
  • Shara Nova – string arrangement on "Estella"
  • Ross Blake – saxophone, percussion
  • Emma Lindström – background vocals
  • Richard Lindström – additional musician, additional recording
  • Helge Sten – mastering
  • Chatham Forbes Jr. – artwork

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]

Soundtracks

[edit]
  • Death Stranding - Songs from the Video Game (2020)

EPs

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  • Casio Dream House (2014)
  • Hávallagata 30 (2014)
  • Remix – EP (2015)
  • Inure (2020)

Live albums

[edit]

Singles

[edit]
  • "Waiting (10 Years)" (2017)
  • "The Sky Is Falling" (2018)
  • "I Won't Be Long" (2018)
  • "Slow Down" (2019)
  • "Darkest Hour" (2019)
  • "Do You Miss Me?" (featuring Emma Lindström) (2020)
  • "Everything to Lose" (2021)
  • "Hummingbird" (2021)
  • "Field of Dreams" (2024)
  • "Just How It Goes" (2025)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Benedikt Reynisson (3 April 2014). "Nýtt tónlistarvor hafið á Íslandi". Kjarninn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 October 2022 – via Tímarit.is. Open access icon
  2. ^ Davíð Már Stefánsson (24 July 2014). "Eins og ein, ekkert rosalega stór, fjölskylda". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). p. 33. Retrieved 30 October 2022 – via Tímarit.is. Open access icon
  3. ^ Svymbersky, Christopher (2012) "Ryan Moves to Iceland and Low Roar is Born Archived 2014-01-11 at the Wayback Machine", Iceland Airwaves Journal. Retrieved 15 April 2013
  4. ^ Cherrie, Chrysta "Low Roar Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved 15 April 2013
  5. ^ Fiander, Matthew (2012) "Low Roar: Low Roar", PopMatters, 4 January 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2013
  6. ^ Kevin O'Donnell (18 February 2009). "Breaking: Audrye Sessions". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  7. ^ Helgi Snær Sigurðsson (26 March 2015). "Low Roar hitar upp fyrir Hozier". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Low Roar's newest, Once in a Long, Long While, was born of challenging times". The Georgia Straight. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Review: Low Roar - ross. | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  10. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (20 June 2018). "Death Stranding sleuths decode hidden musical message in E3 trailer". Polygon. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Fengið viðbrögð úr óvæntum áttum". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 9 December 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  12. ^ a b Weber, Rachel (19 December 2016). "Watch Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen in Creepy 'Death Stranding' Teasers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  13. ^ McKeand, Kirk (6 January 2020). "Sony wouldn't even tell Low Roar its music was for Death Stranding – "We were in the gutter"". VG247. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  14. ^ "塞壬唱片 - A WORLD FAMILIARLY UNKNOWN". Monster-siren.hypergryph.com. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  15. ^ Stanton, Rich (31 October 2022). "Death Stranding composer Ryan Karazija dies at 40". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  16. ^ Blake, Vikki (30 October 2022). "Kojima comments on the death of Low Roar's frontman: "Without you, Death Stranding would not have been born"". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  17. ^ https://gamerant.com/death-stranding-2-how-unlock-all-songs-tracks/
  18. ^ https://bluntmag.com.au/gaming/death-stranding-concert-tour-to-kick-off-in-sydney-this-november/
  19. ^ Polance, Elijah (10 February 2025). "'House In The Woods': Ryan Karazija's last breaths". The Daily Campus. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  20. ^ a b Binaural (29 October 2024). "Low Roar anuncian su último disco: "House In The Woods"". binaural.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  21. ^ Sunnyvale (7 February 2025). "Review: Low Roar - House in the Woods". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  22. ^ a b Pickard, Joshua (5 January 2025). "Low Roar embrace loss and pay tribute to absent friends on "Just How It Goes"". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  23. ^ a b Finnbogason, Jónbjörn (7 January 2025). "From Iceland — Grapevine New Music: Hildur, Low Roar, Benni Hemm Hemm & More". The Reykjavik Grapevine. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  24. ^ a b Low Roar (6 December 2024). Low Roar - Field of Dreams (Official Music Video) (Video). Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  25. ^ a b Low Roar (3 January 2025). Low Roar - Just How It Goes (Official Lyric Video) (Video). Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  26. ^ @lowroar; (20 September 2022). "The whole Low Roar collection will be released on limited edition vinyl starting early next year :) Also a new album called "house in the woods" ✨✨✨" – via Instagram.
  27. ^ "Ryan Karazija (1982 - 2022) ***UPDATED*** After a short illness, Ryan Karazija, front man and driving force behind Low Roar, has died at age 40 due to... | By Low Roar". Facebook.com. 29 October 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  28. ^ Makuch, Eddie (31 October 2022). "Hideo Kojima Pays Tribute To The Late Death Stranding Singer Ryan Karazija Of Low Roar". GameSpot. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  29. ^ "Icelandic alternative rock band Low Roar frontman Ryan Karazija dies at 40, here's what happened". The Economic Times. 31 October 2022. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  30. ^ @lowroar; (30 December 2023). "Hi there. @ascheps here again. I just wanted to let you know that work on album 6 is underway! I can't give any sort of time frame, but it's going" – via Instagram.
  31. ^ Sterdan, Darryl (1 December 2024). "Next Week in Music | Dec. 2-8 • The Long List: 410 Releases On The Way". Tinnitist. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
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