Low Roar | Artist
Low Roar was an Icelandic indie-folk group formed 2011 in Helsinki by Ryan Karazija. Originally a solo act, Karazija later added musicians Leifur Björnsson and Logi Guðmundsson. After releasing five excellent albums spanning over a decade, the band was discontinued following the untimely death of Karazija in October 2022. However, a posthumous sixth album was released on February 7, 2025. Ryan Karazija was born in Santa Clara, California, where he formed the band Audrye Sessions in 2002. In 2010 he relocated to Reykjavík, Iceland following his marriage to an Icelandic woman. He was drawn to Iceland's stark landscapes and rich musical heritage, which significantly influenced his subsequent work. In 2011, he founded the musical project Low Roar as a solo endeavor, crafting intimate and ethereal compositions blending post-rock, electronic music, and folk elements, which he recorded in his kitchen. A self-titled debut album was released in 2011, which was characterized by a stripped-down, melancholic sound reflecting Karazija’s experiences of isolation and adaptation to life in Iceland. Recorded with minimal production, the album received critical praise for its raw emotional depth and atmospheric soundscapes. On this and subsequent albums, Karazija wrote the songs and contributed guitar and lead vocals, but enlisted additional musicians to enhance the sound palette with instruments such as piano, harmonium, strings, electronics, and backing vocals. All five of the group's original album releases come highly recommended: Low Roar (2011), 0 (2014), Once in a Long, Long While (2017), ross (2019), and Maybe Tomorrow (2021). Also recommended is the 2015 live album Live at Gamla Bíó. Beginning in 2016, Low Roar's music reached a global audience when several of their songs were featured in the video game Death Stranding, developed by Kojima Productions and directed by Hideo Kojima. Kojima discovered Low Roar's music in a record store in Reykjavík and felt it perfectly matched the tone of the game. On October 29, 2022, it was announced Karazija died at the age of 40 due to complications from pneumonia.
Artist Website: lowroarmusic.com
featured Albums: Low Roar
Related Artists: Ryan Karazija, Audrye Sessions
