Death Stranding's Reveal Trailer Saved The Band Low Roar From The "Gutter"

Death Stranding was first announced to the world via an enigmatic trailer at E3 2016, featuring the track “I’ll Keep Coming” by the band Low Roar. The trailer, which showed a naked Norman Reedus cradling a baby on a beach, ended up being fairly indicative of the final game–and it also meant a lot to the band whose song it featured.

Low Roar went on to have several songs on the Death Stranding soundtrack, but according to an interview with VG247, before Kojima’s game came along the band was struggling. The band was recording their music on a laptop, according to lead singer Ryan Karazija, and was “in the gutter” when they received an email from Sony asking if they could use their music in a trailer.

“Sony contacted us in an obscure email offering us a certain amount of money to use the song ‘I’ll Keep Coming’, and they were not willing to tell us what they’re going to use the song for,” Karazija told VG247. When their song showed up in the trailer, the band’s popularity immediately skyrocketed.

According to Karazija, the band has had dinner with Kojima twice, and “he’s a lovely man.”

Death Stranding received a 9/10 in our review, and reviewer Kallie Plagge made special mention of the game’s music. “The soundtrack, which is largely composed of one band–Low Roar–is phenomenal, the kind of contemplative folk-ish music that suits a trip alone through a meadow or down a mountain. Because the act of walking is so involved, it’s not a time to detach completely and zone out; it’s a time to feel your feelings or at least consider what’s next in your travels.”