When fans nervously tuned in to watch HBO’s adaptation of one of their favorite video games, there was one familiar presence that immediately calmed their nerves: the mournful guitar of Gustavo Santaolalla. As certain story beats changed and beloved polygonal faces were replaced with new actors, the beating heart of The Last of Us – its mesmerizing, tension-ridden score – survived the transition to TV intact.
“[Series creator] Neil Druckmann has said that my music is part of the DNA of The Last of Us,” Santaolalla says. “I think the fact that we kept the sonic fabric – that we didn’t do an orchestral score for the series – has been instrumental in keeping those fans of the games fans of the series, too.”
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Santaolalla first started releasing music when he was 17. Loving both English rock bands and the traditional Argentine folk music that he was raised on, Santaolalla melded both into his own unique sound, part of a genre called rock nacional. Before he could fully make his mark, Santaolalla’s family fled the Argentine junta dictatorship in 1978, moving to Los Angeles, where his unique sound soon caught the attention of filmmakers. Snapped up to sc …
