Old Love by Eric Brandon

While Old Love may be his debut release, Eric Brandon’s years of performing experience provide a quiet maturity throughout this 5-song EP. He has toured with The City Harmonic as a fill-in bass player and then as their opening act. Brandon is currently managed by Elias Dummer of The City Harmonic, who also provided production and mixing skills to the project. 

Like most pop songs, each song on Brandon’s album explores love. Yet his direct and honest approach is refreshing in a time when many songs limit love to a complicated physical—and eventually broken—concept. Brandon doesn’t over-romanticize relationships; he admires commitment and perseverance, providing the listener with hope that lasting love is possible.

The album begins with a track called “U.S.A.” in which the singer travels from state to state, searching seemingly everywhere for love. “How You Doin’” zooms into the particular experience of flying to meet someone for the first time, and the variety of thoughts and feelings that accompany this exciting yet risky adventure.

“Paris” is a delightfully airy song that celebrates growing love, boasting “I got enough in my own heart to bring us from here to Paris.” The singer implies that there may even be enough love to solidify the relationship with marriage. “I Gotta Go” takes a slightly more reserved tone, looking into the past and coming to the conclusion that the singer is too old to be living in his father’s home and must move on. 

The album ends with the title track, “Old Love,” the story of a man coming to an unfamiliar town and observing a couple in a bar who appear to have been in relationship for a long time. The singer is fascinated by the resiliency and beauty found in what he calls “old love,” finding inspiration and wisdom for his own journey. 

The thoughtful arrangement of each track supports each story, with some songs featuring only an acoustic guitar and others providing a full band arrangement with slide guitars, B3 Hammond organs, and swelling background vocals that have a gospel quality.

For people on the hunt for quality new music that has a hopeful perspective on human love, this is the album for you. (Eric Brandon)