one wild precious life

“one wild precious life” is the debut single of South African artist GEM.

It is a funky, indie-pop song, written and produced by Paul Hepker, and recorded in 2024 at shrooom studios in Assagay, KZN, South Africa. The title comes from a line in the Mary Oliver poem “A Summers Day”, and the song urges the listener to get their ship together ;-)… seize the moment… and take their chances… because life is too short and precious to rely on anyone else.

If you are a fan of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”, then you’re gonna love this track. It has the indie-punk edge of a classic South African 80’s track like eVoid’s “TaxiMan”, with jangly guitar riffs and funky rhythm, while GEM’s silky smooth doubled voice recalls the effortless cool of Bananarama. There is also a cool Nik Kershaw-esque middle eight section, with unexpected chord changes, and a nod to Rubber Soul-era Beatles guitar riffs.

Find out more about the track, including production notes, lyrics and other tidbits.

You can check out a lyric video for the track on YouTube.