APRA AMCOS, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office and the High Score games music community were greatly saddened by the news of the recent passing of composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Narayana Johnson, who also performed solo as River Boy.
Narayana was one of Australia’s brightest and most talented game music composers, breaking through globally in 2022 with his highly-acclaimed, fan-favourite soundtrack for the indie hit game Cult of the Lamb.
Hailing from the Northern Rivers region, Narayana got his start in music as one-half of electronic duo Willow Beats. He segued into games after connecting via Twitter DMs with Julian Wilton, the director of Melbourne-based games developer Massive Monster, who was a fan of the group.
Around the same time that Narayana was honing his game audio skills, APRA AMCOS was launching High Score, our annual games audio and composition conference.
Narayana was a regular attendee of the conferences, and as his star rose and he was appointed Director of Audio at Massive Monster, he became an integral part of the program as a featured speaker, mentor and even as a guest DJ at last year’s event mixer.
“Narayana was so generous with his time and knowledge, and he was High Score’s biggest supporter and a champion of the Australian games audio industry. It isn’t an understatement to say his work put Australian games composers on the map, and it’s impossible to state how much he is missed,” said Chris O’Neill, Director, Creative Programs, APRA AMCOS.
Massive Monster’s Cult of the Lamb was an instant hit on its release in 2022, topping the Nintendo Switch US charts and gaining a passionate following. At that year’s High Score, Narayana and Julian unpacked their ‘sound world’ for conference-goers. Narayana’s score – from lo-fi electronica to dark synth – undoubtedly played a key role in the game and its success.
“Thanks to an excellent soundtrack by River Boy, however, players are free to fully absorb themselves in the Cult of the Lamb experience for hours on end,” reviewed Hardcore Gamer.
He made history as the first-ever Game Music Award winner at the 2023 World Soundtrack Awards for Cult of the Lamb and won the Excellence in Music Award at the 2022 Australian Game Developer Awards.
His soundtrack has accumulated millions of streams, was released on vinyl, and had a major Federation Square installation and orchestral live performance during Melbourne International Games Week in 2023.
He has shared his insights and tips on composing for games at a popular APRA AMCOS member online session and as a guest at High Score Co-op, the two-day virtual composition workshop extension of the conference.
At 2024’s High Score, we were so honoured to have him once again as part of the program, joining a panel to discuss Game Music in the Wild: from OSTs to Orchestras.
High Score co-curator Tim Sheil said: “Narayana was a formidable producer and composer, and he had a gorgeous sense of melody and play that he brought to every piece of music he touched. He was also a beautiful human to be around, warm, generous and fun, and it felt like we were just at the very beginning of what was going to be a lifelong friendship.
“He will be so missed by family, friends old and new, and by legions of Cult of the Lamb fans around the world to whom his music brought so much joy.”
On the Saturday night of High Score, Narayana’s DJ set was one to remember, when his music brought together the game audio community, as only River Boy could do.
Vale Narayana Johnson, River Boy.