Low Roar
Outline
Low Roar was the indie artist Ryan Karazija who was originally from San Jose, California but had been working out of Reykjavík after 2011 until his passing in 2022. He played a combination of electronic music and dream folk with a strong ambient angle. His songs were consistently low tempo affairs that went through small dynamic changes in their orchestration, and remained evocative of a sense of longing and isolation throughout. The atmospherics he created with these melodies served as the backdrop for Karazija's delicate vocals. On the few occasions where he got a little upbeat, he was still grounded in the same melancholic and expansive sound. His music was featured in the video game Death Stranding, which is why it may be familiar to a lot of people.
Bon Iver, Sigur Rós, Iron & Wine, Cigarettes after Sex
Karazija was a member of the Oakland-based band Audrye Sessions in the '00s.