Julia Logan – “Moodswings”

Julia Logan’s 2022 debut album Forever Everly had quite the pedigree: a duet with the Cardigans’ Nina Persson, guitar from Peter Morén of Peter Bjorn And John, First Aid Kit producer Daniel Bengtson behind the boards. It made Logan a buzzy presence in her native Sweden and earned her a nomination as singer-songwriter of the year at 2023 Manifestgalan Awards honoring Swedish independent music. She’s about to release the follow-up, which bears the Georgia O’Keeffe-inspired title Faraway Nearby. Having already spent some time with it, I expect the glow-up to continue.

Logan brings an uncommon dynamism to the familiar indie folk-pop aesthetic. Her voice has a friendly, conversational bent to it; she can send that thing soaring when she wants to, but more often it flutters in a melancholic midrange, connecting the dots between Carole King and Sharon Van Etten. The brisk, piano-led album opener “Top Of The World” is a bit like the Weather Station channeling Fleetwood Mac, while “Mirrors” is brighter and more buoyant, in the vein of boygenius’ “Not Strong Enough.” Despite all the recognizable flashes, Logan is a softly commanding presence who puts her imprint on every song.

Today she’s sharing a video for her recent single “Moodswings,” which trades out the piano foundation of the prior singles for fingerpicked guitar that glitters like a spinning disco ball. Again produced by Bengtson, it’s a marvel of mood and texture, but Logan pierces through the lush arrangement when the chorus hits and her voice shoots upward: “Cause the heart’s a lonely hunter/ In an empty space/ When the moodswings color the ground/ And the summit wind blows/ I’ll wait for you/ Like a jewel in the sky, I’ll be gone.” The squealing keyboard riff that enters after the second refrain is a pleasant surprise.

Watch director Henrik Johansson’s video for “Moodswings” below, where you can also hear “Mirrors” and “Top Of The World.”

Faraway Nearby is out 11/1 on Mayborn/Dumont Dumont.