Low Roar

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]

Low Roar
Karazija in 2012.
Background information
Origin	Reykjavík, Iceland
Genres	Indie rock dream pop post-rock electronica
Years active	2011–2022
Past members	Ryan Karazija Andrew Scheps Mike Lindsay Logi Guðmundsson Leifur Björnsson David Knight Alton San Giovanni
Website	lowroarmusic.com

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

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. It was also announced that a sixth album, which was being worked on as of 2022, would be eventually released.^[15]

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".

Discography

Albums

• Low Roar (2011)
• 0 (2014)
• Once in a Long, Long While... (2017)
• ross. (2019)
• maybe tomorrow... (2021)
• House in the Woods (2025)

Soundtracks

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

EPs

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

Live albums

• Live at Gamla Bíó (2015)

Singles

• "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)