Old Sea Brigade and Luke Sital-Singh have struck gold on their soulfully soothing new EP ‘All the Ways You Sing in the Dark’, lighting sparks of warmth with a tender and cinematic display of connection, togetherness, and the human spirit.
for fans of Iron & Wine, Gregory Alan Isakov, Alex Lleo
“Amaranth Moonlight” – Old Sea Brigade & Luke Sital-Singh
Gifted singer/songwriters in their own right, Nashville’s Old Sea Brigade (aka Ben Cramer) and LA-based Londoner Luke Sital-Singh have proven themselves a match made in musical heaven. The unlikely duo have struck gold on their soulfully soothing new EP All the Ways You Sing in the Dark, lighting sparks with a tender and cinematic display of connection, togetherness, and the human spirit. A brief but powerful sixteen-minute upheaval of fresh resonating sound, it’s just the kind of music this year’s been longing for.
It’s feeling good to get out of town
This neon noise is wearing me out
A slender silhouette in the sky
Orange glow to every surprise
Tomorrow’s gonna come
I’ve been half way dreaming it
– “Amaranth Moonlight,” Old Sea Brigade & Luke Sital-Singh
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for “Amaranth Moonlight,” taken off the newly-released All the Ways You Sing in the Dark EP (released August 28, 2020 via Nettwerk Music Group). Following the acclaimed singles “Call Me When You Land,” “Summertime Low,” and “Los Feliz,” “Amaranth Moonlight” rounds out the four-track EP with a dash of feelgood, relaxed effervescence. It’s a high point on an EP full of light and positive energy that wants nothing more than for its listeners to feel good, and take a moment for themselves.
“I don’t think I’ve ever written a song quite like ‘Amaranth Moonlight,'” Old Sea Brigade’s Ben Cramer tells Atwood Magazine. “It has a ‘carefree / let loose’ vibe I’ve always struggled to fit into my music. I have this romanticised image in my head of driving around LA at night in the ’80s. Though I have no idea what that’s like, this song is my imagination of it.”
Quite frankly, “Amaranth Moonlight” might be this EP’s sleeper hit. The pair may have saved their best for last, what with the song’s intoxicating reverb-drenched guitars and heartfelt, aching vocals. It’s hard not to fall for Sital-Singh’s poetic, dreamy imagery. They hit a stirring high in a lush, immersive chorus:
I’m cutting off all my ties
Keep thinking how hard we tried
In the amaranth moonlight hour
I’ll be dreaming of the way we were
“‘Amaranth Moonlight’ is one my favourites on the EP,” Luke Sital-Singh reflects. “Of the songs I sing lead on, this one feels the most different to my usual music. It’s a welcome change to my standard script and has opened my eyes/ears to future sounds I might pursue.”
Perhaps it’s fitting that the “Amaranth Moonlight” video would premiere on the EP’s release day: A taste both of the beach and the mountains, the visual marries the two artist’s distinct, yet so obviously concurrent worlds. They both sing under clear blues skies in their respective locations – and that’s exactly the kind of uplifting imagery their full record evokes: Together, the pair light a peaceful, easy fire through an organic marriage of their folk and soft rock roots. There are moments of weight (as in the feverish guitar solo on “Summertime Low,”) complemented by spaces of levity and bright, inviting light: The blissful EP opener “Call Me When You Land” is celestially sweet; a seductively introspective breath of fresh air, it’s our ideal summer hypnosis:
What am I waking for
Am I waiting for a sign
That I’m brave enough to follow
Can I just fail enough to bail out
I’m in my Wednesday suit
I’m just so sick of this commute
Are they always speakin’ to me
Only advertisers know me
Maybe I’m just fallin’ away
Counting down the days
Trying to make a better mistake
Call you when I land
Don’t think about the distance
Do you understand
Not everything is missin’
We’re gonna figure it out
Call me when you can
Don’t think about the future
Maybe lend a hand
‘Cause failure is a feature
We’re gonna figure it out
– “Call Me When You Land,” Old Sea Brigade & Luke Sital-Singh
When all is said and done, All the Ways You Sing in the Dark makes for a beautiful respite.
“I love how this EP came together so fluently,” Ben Cramer says. “It was explorative on the writing and recording side but never felt like work. The EP serves as a snapshot to better times: Times when we were together with friends, creating, traveling, exploring. I hope people enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Recorded pre-quarantine and brought to life while we are still living with the day-to-day anxieties of the COVID-19 global pandemic, All the Ways You Sing in the Dark will serve as an escape for some and an indulgence for others; as Old Sea Brigade sings on the EP’s closer “Los Feliz,” “All is well, can’t you see? Close your eyes, fall asleep.” A sense of tranquility permeates this stunning work that is not quite “folk,” not quite “rock”, nor a strict singer/songwriter production either. If anything, this record presents heartland music at its finest: It’s poignant and blissful, aching and authentic, tailor-made for moments of isolation and reverie, togetherness and celebration.
Watch the “Amaranth Moonlight” video exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stream Old Sea Brigade and Luke Sital-Singh’s dreamy new EP out now. A catchy catharsis, it’s an adventure you’ll want to embark on time and again as we move from the summer into the fall, and well beyond.
This city keeps me down on my knees
I love the way that everything breathes
You think you get to safe higher ground
Suddenly we’re both backing down
Tomorrow’s gonna come
I’ve been halfway stealing it
I need an open heart
Wide open enough
Just to find ya
I need to light a fire
Right under my eyes
Just to guide ya
I need an open heart
Wide open enough
Just to bring me back
– “Amaranth Moonlight,” Old Sea Brigade & Luke Sital-Singh
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“Amaranth Moonlight” – Old Sea Brigade & Luke Sital-Singh
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