“It was an amazing dream,” rocker and multi-instrumentalist Erik Eimiller says, setting the scene for how his debut 80s-esque new wave-vibe single, “Cross the Ocean” came to mind. “Vivid. Palpable.”

Okay, yes. Tell us more.

“It was like a full-on music video,” the Buffalo-based artist obliges, detailing his REM cycle. “The singer was running towards the camera, and running away from something terrifying, whatever it was, that was chasing him.

“The chorus for what would become ‘Cross the Ocean’ was blasting inside my subconsciousness, and the chord progression and melody line were ingrained in my mind as I awoke. I quickly grabbed my phone and recorded a voice message, humming the vocal line while clicking my teeth to the beat.

“I couldn’t quite remember all of the words, but I had what I needed.”

Watch and listen to ‘Cross the Ocean’ here: