If the guitar were a character in a movie, it would be that mysterious, charismatic hero. In its elegant wooden body lives the history of everyone who has ever touched it. Its sound can be as comforting as an evening by the fireplace or as sharp as a sudden spring storm. It tells stories that sometimes have no clear ending, but they can comfort and inspire. And it is the guitar that inspires the talented musician Ratyński in his creativity. He is like a fresh breeze in the musical world, blowing from Poland. A guitarist and composer, he seeks new sounds and inspiration across a wide range of genres, styles, and eras in music. Ratyński says: “I want my listeners to feel the same deep emotions that accompany my life with music.” And there is no doubt – he truly conveys these feelings, turning each piece into a personal and vivid experience.
Photo by @EverythingButClassic
Like his new ‘Tomorrow is a Storm,’ this mini-conceptual, multi-genre album of 4 tracks, with a duration of 13 minutes, reflects uncertainty, fear, hope, and reflections on the future. With this release, Ratyński primarily wanted to express his paternal feelings. As a father, he experiences everything, everything happening around him, with a special intensity. He looks at his children and sees their potential, imagining how they could shine in a more stable world. Times are tough now, and the planet seems to be going crazy with heat and drought. In his native Poland, where there used to be order, floods and tornadoes have become common, and summer is just hellishly hot.
And the opening track of the album, “Morning of Hope,” with its bossa nova motif, heralds this hope with a trembling anticipation of something new and beautiful that is about to appear. Like a beam of light, “Morning of Hope” gives the feeling of awakening. For each new day is a blank page on which one can write their story anew, without looking back at past mistakes or fears. In “Morning of Hope” there is confidence: no matter what happens, there will always be a new morning ahead, a new chance, and always hope for the better.
The guitar in Ratyński’s hands is a long, mysterious journey, and his fingers, gliding over the neck, explore every chord the strings produce. Thanks to the musician’s mastery, it is filled with magic, uniting different cultures and eras.
In the title track “Tomorrow is a Storm,” he peered into the heart of his land, steeped in the folklore of the Polish mountains. But instead of classic folk music, it turned into acoustic post-rock, where silence and storm play endless hide-and-seek. The guitar playing intertwines sharp staccato with trembling legato. Yes, there are enough storms here, but chaos is not its companion. Rhythm and harmony go hand in hand, as if the elements have long known their boundaries. Through these contrasts – calm, melodic pauses, swift flashes, and aggressive attacks – Ratyński leads us through the winding paths of thought. And in these reflections, there seeps a suspicion that the world, which seems familiar, is falling apart.
Photo by @EverythingButClassic
Here appears something like a soundtrack for lost souls – the track “The Lost Anthem.” A guiding star for those wandering in search of meaning. The themes of the composition collide and argue. Familiar intonations are caught in the melody – echoes of old Polish songs. The musician’s fingers gently touch the strings, drawing out sound as an artist draws light from a dark canvas. They alternate in rhythm, sometimes fluttering like butterflies, barely touching the strings, and sometimes snapping sharply, like a lightning bolt slicing through space. And only towards the end does the atmosphere become calmer, and you feel the vibrations of the strings under the fingertips, as if holding the wind in your palm.
The guitar is Ratyński’s faithful friend. It helps him express everything that is difficult to convey in words. This is why in the final track of the album, “Dreamy River,” there is a metaphor where the river is a symbol of purification and new life. The composition paints a picture of a world coming to life after the storm, and this vision is so beautiful that you want to believe in it with all your heart, simply by listening to these sounds.
Tomorrow is always an uncertainty, but it is in this unpredictability that opportunities for change are hidden. In the album ‘Tomorrow is a Storm,‘ Ratyński conveys the message that even in the darkest and stormiest times, it is essential to hold onto hope for a bright future. Through his music and personal experience, he expresses the idea that everyone has the chance to become a beacon of light in this chaotic world. And the storm? It is merely a temporary trial on the path to a new day.
Published in partnership with SubmitHub
Voxwave Magazine: Music, Culture, Interview, Fashion 