After a period spent cloaked in gloom, sometimes the bravest act is simply opening the window to your soul, pulling back the curtains to let the rays of warmth and hope beam their way in. It’s a small but profound gesture, a quiet rebellion against darkness, reminding us that even shadows retreat when sunlight pours forth. This spirit of illumination and renewal lies at the core of Salar Rajabnik’s latest work as Darker Lighter, a project brimming with restless post-punk energy, shoegaze textures, and raw indie-rock power.
With the release of “Open Up, Sunshine,” a bold assertation from his self-titled debut album arriving May 2nd, Rajabnik decisively stakes his claim. As he describes it, the track is, “A song about not wanting to settle. About wanting to push for something better, and crucially; more substantive in any given facet of life. About fighting against all odds for hope when you don’t feel like there is any available. About carrying on in the wake of disappointment. All set to an unabashedly brazen wall of guitars and amplifiers, played with an energy meant to evoke the song’s ethos.”
Rajabnik has been making waves behind the scenes in the indie rock and post-punk world for years, sharpening his craft as a guitar tech and collaborator with legends such as Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and Kim Gordon. His extensive experience working among alt-rock royalty has deeply informed his own musical vision, inspiring a dedication to sonic precision and emotional authenticity. Now, stepping confidently into the spotlight at the legendary Studio 606 with Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Robert Adam Stevenson (Paul McCartney, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Kills, Jeff Beck), Rajabnik channels the echoes of his past into a fierce, personal sound.
“Open Up, Sunshine” charges from Rajabnik’s calloused fingers like steam from split pavement: hot, heavy, and hurrying toward something better. Guitars grind and glisten, drums gallop, vocals veer between snarl and soar, landing somewhere between the swagger of the Toadies and the expansive melodies of Dinosaur Jr. It’s sweat-stained, speaker-splitting determination; a no-frills fight against settling for less—a shout, a sprint, a stubborn spark struck in the face of futility.
The visualizer for Darker Lighter’s song intentionally avoids explicit interpretation, preferring subtlety over direct symbolism. Featuring simple imagery of sunlight to suggest themes of hope and perseverance, it incorporates the familiar metaphor of dawn breaking after darkness. Additionally, the visualizer includes a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse of tracking guitar parts, highlighting the project’s intensive, music-first recording approach.
Watch the lyric video for “Open Up, Sunshine” below:
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