Inside the latest from Chris Erasmus, 'NeverPlanned'

Soaring and cinematic, tracks like this don't come often, especially with the raw and real emotion and truth that NeverPlanned holds. In what I would describe as a lifetime in the making, and I believe Chris would agree, this song beautifully explores the type of longing that could only come from someone as innately displaced and perpetually alienated as he has been.

As stated in his bio, "At 18 Chris left Africa to pursue music, developing into a powerful performer...Though he's lived in Cape Town, New York, and Australia, his heart remains in the countryside-shaped by a childhood of guitars, campfires, and wild animals between Zimbabwe and South Africa."

“I wrote this song from a feeling of being misplaced, but still dreaming about the place I wish I could return to.” He stated in an interview about the ideas surrounding NeverPlanned.

With imagery that provides a moving picture into his vivid past, the chorus in NeverPlanned steps into a nostalgia-saturated view of his life back in Africa.

In a deeper look at the chorus,"rolling smoke that thunders" has a rather personal element for Chris, as it comes from the Lozi / Kololo (Barotse people ), locals from Chris' childhood in Africa.

Other lines such as "where wild horses race and my heart wanders" give the impression of a fantastical land only found in a movie, and that's the point Chris writes home about in this track.

NeverPlanned is an emotionally expansive track born from a return home that didn’t feel the way it was imagined. Written a few years ago while reflecting on a visit back to their roots, the song explores the tension between nostalgia and reality — the way we romanticize places, people, and memories when we’re far away from them.

Inspired by the metaphor of Peter Pan’s Neverland, the song compares longing for the past to dreaming of a magical place that might not live up to expectations in real life.

“We all have a kind of Neverland in our heads — this place we think is perfect — but if we actually went there, it might not be as lovely as we hoped.” Chris shared.

“When you’re away from home or in a bad space, you close your eyes and go back to that place you miss — but sometimes the dream is better than the reality.”

For any relocated adult this may ring true. But I invite you to consider how elevated that experience may have felt had the time between visits been extended. Between the lyricism and instrumentation, all of this may ring rather melancholy, and that's true. Yet, there is a shimmer of hope within this song as well.

“You fit into that world differently, and it takes time to clock back into that space.” Chris stated.

While these feelings may sting in the moment, it truly is a bittersweet experience that what was done is done and that moving forward remains all that's possible.

NeverPlanned is out now and streaming everywhere. Listen here and be sure to follow along with Chris's next projects. Thanks for reading!