How a chance coffee date inspired this Ocean Grove musician’s most personal music yet

EVERY relationship has a soundtrack. For Ocean Grove singer-songwriter Jem Pryse, it became his latest EP, charting five years of love, marriage and fatherhood.

The deeply personal release follows Pryse’s relationship with his now-wife, Evie, from a chance coffee date through to their wedding day and the arrival of their first child, with each track inspired by a defining moment along the way.

“It was a project many years in the making,” Pryse said. “It spans our whole relationship and now I’ve finally produced the thing.”

Pryse first made waves with his 2022 debut album Seek, which saw him named triple j Unearthed artist of the week and perform at Groovin’ the Moo.

But while that release established him as one of the region’s emerging artists, his latest collection draws inspiration much closer to home.

 

Unlike his debut, the new EP, Drowning in Love and Vows, wasn’t conceived as a single project from the outset, but gradually took shape over five years.

Opening track Out of the Blue reflects on the chance coffee date that sparked the relationship.

“That coffee date was so out of the blue,” Pryse said. “There were no signs from me.

“I think Evie thought we were maybe just catching up as friends.”

The relationship quickly blossomed, with Pryse finding himself inspired to put those early feelings into song.

Tracks including I See You Found A Girl and Jaw Drop capture the excitement and uncertainty of falling in love.

 

“It quickly progressed and I was infatuated with her quite early,” Pryse said.

“The early songs are inspired by me being quite into her and trying to get her on board.”

The tone shifts with Less Is More, written when Pryse believed Evie was about to spend nine months in the United States.

“I started working on this song as I thought she was definitely going,” he said.

“I was shattered and processing her going. I was expressing sadness that she had chosen to go over being here with me. It was very dramatic.”

Looking back, Pryse said the song reflects how much he has grown as both a songwriter and a person.

“There are a few things there where I am like ‘Wow, I’ve matured a bit’,” he said.

In the end, Evie decided against the trip, paving the way for the next chapter of the couple’s relationship.

By the EP’s closing tracks, the story has reached a very different place. Drowning in Love and Vows capture the couple’s wedding and the promises they made to each other.

“Vows in particular documents what we found special in our life together, and part of the lyrics are what we actually put in our vows on our wedding day,” Pryse said.

“I wrote it to be played as she walked down the aisle. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to producing it properly for the day, but it’s here now.

 

“One day, I hope to play it for another couple on their special day.”

Pryse and Evie welcomed their first child, Eden, in May, adding another chapter to the story that inspired the EP.

While fatherhood has made life busier than ever, Pryse is eager to take the songs to the stage.

“I’m so relieved to have it out there in the universe, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

“Life is pretty busy right now, but I’m planning on finding a little pocket of time to play it live a few times.

“I’d love to line a gig up at Church, the new venue in Geelong. This is a callout to my band. Get ready.”