As someone that is an avid lover of 90’s and early-2000’s music, any time I stumble upon an artist that resembles those two eras, I immediately become obsessed. It’s cliche to say that new music isn’t the same as it used to be, but it’s true. And although that isn’t a bad thing — a lot of new music kicks ass — there is still something special about that time in music.

So naturally, I’m here today to help introduce you to the. next artist who was heavily influenced by that time in music, and wears it on their sleeve: Ratinoff. Musically, Ratinoff — the project of Jay Ratinoff — is incredibly reminiscent of the alternative-rock from the aforementioned decades, skillfully blending metal, electro, pop, and industrial.

A former TV star in South America, Ratinoff brings some flair with him to his Fliter/early-Strokes inspired brand of alt/rock. This is no more evident than in the music video for his new single, “Light Me Up,” which in itself was subtly inspired by INXS’ “Need You Tonight.”

While the single won’t be officially released on streaming platforms until tomorrow, June 11th, Substream is teaming up with Ratinoff to bring you an exclusive premiere of the single, as well as it’s accompanying music video.

“‘Light Me Up’ came out of frustration and anger,” he tells Substream. “Due to the pandemic, I of course had to spend a lot of time indoors and there were a few instances that the neighbors were complaining of my singing during the afternoon. It was causing trouble with my family, and that song came out of that. So, to my neighbors: ”Fuck you, but thank you.’ Haha! The song to me is almost like an Anthem of Liberation. As the song says ”Let it Out’…’, Oh, and it also gave me the album title!”

Ratinoff continues, “The experience of filming the video was almost a blur. There was a lot of smoke and colors that I used to my advantage.  It was almost like getting lost in a canvas, where it was more about the atmosphere created rather than me as an artist. It was like playing with the idea of being an over-the-top rockstar rather than someone who takes himself too seriously. At the end of the day, it’s show business, and if you don’t have fun with it, somebody else will! So might as well just do it. I’m hoping that people who watch the video will be inspired to push their own boundaries and feel the same liberation that I felt while writing, recording and shooting the video.”

Watch the music video for “Light Me Up” below, and keep your eyes peeled for more music from Ratinoff soon.