Dean Griffin’s new single “Lights Out” is a whole vibe. Dripping with 80s nostalgia and slow-burning sensuality, this Orange County-based artist has created something just great enough for tailor-made for dancing and dimly lit moments of connection. With his roots in dance and filmmaking, Griffin approaches music like a storyteller who knows how to move bodies and emotions in equal measure, and “Lights Out” delivers on both fronts.
From the moment the song opens with a slithering synth line, there’s a magnetic tension. The groovy beat is hard-hitting and crisp, but under it all hums a warm melody that cushions the track like velvet. Dean’s voice enters smooth and reflective, slowly pulling you into the moment before it blossoms into a euphoric, hook-laced chorus. It’s in that contrast between the slow-burning intimacy of the verses and the catchy mood of the chorus that “Lights Out” finds its pulse. He’s reveling in the rawness of what’s revealed when everything else fades away.
The music video, co-directed by Dean and Erin Cherry, amplifies this energy tenfold. It’s vivid and dreamy, starring dancer Megumi Chung with choreography by Armand Abary. The chemistry between the performers is electric, and the visuals, bathed in bold colors and surrealist edits, bring cinematism to complement the song’s emotional and sonic richness. In fact, someone on YouTube under the music video called Dean, “the modern Rick Astley,” and honestly, they’re not wrong. The smooth charisma hits just like the legend himself.
Since his debut in 2019, Dean Griffin has proven himself to be a shapeshifter in pop, R&B, funk, and beyond. “Lights Out” is his latest evolution, and it shows just how far he can go when he leans into vulnerability with groove to match.
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Review by: Naomi Joan