Photo by Patrick Pierre | Unsplash Forsaken The Last of Us HBO is one of the best series you’ll ever watch. It was pitch perfect. Of course, the music was integral to the games experience — so naturally Gustavo Santaolalla was brought back for the […]

Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash Haven Haven is a little gem by Gustavo Santaolalla. It’s from HBO’s The Last of Us. I have no idea which (if any) episode this song was used in — but it did make the soundtrack, and it’s a […]

Photo by lauren lulu taylor | Unsplash Never Let Me Down Again Never Let Me Down Again, is a song by the English band Depeche Mode, who were pioneers of electronic and “alternative” music in the 1980’s. This song is from their 6th album, Music […]

Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash Vanishing Grace (a variation) I’ve been steeped in Gustavo Santaolalla’s music and guitar playing since 2005 when his iconic score for Brokeback Mountain was first released. The minimalism of his playing captivated me immediately. Santaolalla’s style has informed my […]

The Last of Us (HBO) HBO’s The Last of Us is being heralded as “the greatest video game adaptation ever”. No surprise as Craig Mazen is the executive producer and showrunner. Mazen’s Chernobyl mini-series (on HBO) was one of the greatest shows I have ever […]

Photo by Robin Wersich | Unsplash The Quarantine Zone (20 Years Later) The Quarantine Zone is the first song from the iconic The Last of Us soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla. This track embodies Santaolalla’s creativity — and his element of surprise. Quarantine Zone is gnarly, […]

Photo by Gwendal Cottin on Unsplash Left Behind (Together) Left Behind (Together) is a nifty, steel-string guitar piece by Gustavo Santaolalla; from The Last of Us Volume 2. It’s emblematic of his ability to find small spaces, and set positive constraints on the guitar. Gustavo […]

Photo by Sebastian Unrau | Unsplash Abby and Owen This motif is an unreleased track from The Last Of Us Part II by Gustavo Santaolalla. It’s relatively easy to play and works as a perfectly as an etude (a composition built on a technical motive […]

Photo by Denny Müller | Unsplash All Gone (Seasons) The Last of Us Volume 2, is the supplemental soundtrack for ‘The Last of Us: Left Behind’ – downloadable expansion content that would be later bundled into ‘The Last of Us Remastered’. The music features compositions […]

Photo by Rythik | Unsplash Soft Descent | Inextinguishable Flames While Inextinguishable Flames is the prototypical riff from The Last of Us Part II — Soft Descent is more reminiscent of Gustavo Santaolalla’s work on The Motorcycle Diaries. The latter is quite possibly his greatest […]

Photo by Zach Kadolph | Unsplash It Can’t Last It Can’t Last is a dynamic little song from The Last of Us Part II soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla. This piece is played on a Ronroco. Think of that as a tiny Andean guitar. I would […]

Photo by Andrew Neel | Unsplash Allowed to be Happy This is definitely my favorite piece from The Last of Us Part II soundtrack. The chorus section has a slight pop sensibility to it. I love how Santaolalla creates long passages. Each song feels like […]