Old Sea Brigade Returns With New Single “Polygraph”
April 26, 2024 BY Bailey Vigliaturo
Today, Old Sea Brigade, the alias of Ben Cramer, returns with the timeless and yearning track “Polygraph.” Inviting us into his world, the track evokes a sense of nostalgia with floating piano chords and laid-back acoustic strums, accompanied by strings and drums that build into a release of a folky-soft rock sonic landscape. Listen to “Polygraph” on all digital retailers (here).
Talking about his song “Polygraph,” he shares, “‘Polygraph’ is a song all about the fear of the unknown and how that can manifest into anxiety. It’s about when you take a big step into a new phase in your life when those big changes actually happen, and you suddenly freak out and wonder… ‘was this the right step?’ but you feel bad for even thinking that. ‘Polygraph’ is about riding that out, letting it pass, and is meant to be an antidote to all that, to remind you… you don’t have to slow-dance with the next thought you have.”
The Atlanta-born, previously Nashville-based artist is no stranger to stepping into the unknown. The past year saw Cramer enter a new stage of life, relocating to Sweden with his partner and welcoming their first child. While he spends the majority of his personal and creative life in Gothenburg now, he still holds down a base in Nashville.
WATCH + LISTEN “Polygraph”
Ben Cramer first introduced Old Sea Brigade with his debut eponymous EP Old Sea Brigade (which included his seminal hit “Love Brought Weight”), followed by his 2019 debut album, Ode To A Friend. He has toured with artists like Passenger, Wild Rivers, and Luke Sital-Singh, and developed an undeniable chemistry with Luke that carried over to the studio on the collaborative All the Ways You Sing in the Dark EP.
His 2021 sophomore album, Motivational Speaking, was called “some of the best quarantine art” (Consequence) and “sharply written and infectiously propulsive.” (Uncut). Cramer built on these successes with his latest album, 2022’s 5am Paradise, where he reveled in new sounds and ideas, all the while exploring the textures and intricacies of everyday life in songs that made space for doubt and worry alongside joy and pleasure. He left his songs unresolved—posing more questions than he answers—so that they reveal more and more of themselves each time you hear them. Old Sea Brigade has since received praise from the likes of WNYC Soundcheck, Brooklyn Vegan, Under The Radar, No Depression, East Nashvillian, and many more. All of this culminated with this national TV debut on CBS Mornings “Saturday Sessions.”
Stay tuned for more to come from Old Sea Brigade…
Polygraph” is available on DSPs here: https://oldseabrigade.ffm.to/polygraph
