Swedish singer/songwriter Julia Logan contemplates her heartfelt and enchanting sophomore album ‘Faraway Nearby,’ which encapsulates the tension of distance—both physical and emotional—during uncertain times.
Stream: “Moodswings” – Julia Logan
I aimed to delve into the concept of how technology connects us all while simultaneously leaving us lonely as individuals. This album highlights how extensive distances may separate us, yet we all share the universal experience of life in its many forms.
Julia Logan’s second album, Faraway Nearby, presents a study of contrasts—distance versus closeness, solitude versus connection, melancholy versus hope. Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s evocative phrase and artwork of the same name, the LP examines the dynamics of human experience, blending folk, Americana, pop, and other genres into captivating soundscapes brimming with raw emotion and rich sounds. Written partially during the pandemic and influenced by the shifting landscape of personal and global change, Faraway Nearby showcases Logan’s growth as an artist, enhancing her introspective lyricism while adopting a broader, more expansive musical style.
Tender and intimate yet vast and unfiltered, it serves as a commentary on connection both internally and externally, striving to understand a chaotic world and finding one’s voice amid ongoing turmoil and transformation.
Faraway Nearby – Julia Logan
Houses, friendships,
places you thought you knew
Hardships, righteous, faces,
a change in views
We’ve come too far to turn back time
To turn around
You know you are a wandering scar
You’ll hit the ground
It’s such a loss
When you’ve got no redemption
What became of you
At the top of the world
I saw you
In the heartache alley
I saw you, man
– “Top of the World,” Julia Logan
Initially released in November 2024 (with an extended version in January 2025) via Dumont Dumont, Faraway Nearby is a warm, beautiful, and reflective journey through these strange and often challenging ‘modern times.’ Following her 2022 debut album Everly Foreverly, Swedish singer/songwriter Julia Logan blends influences from the past and present alongside producer Daniel Bengtson (First Aid Kit, Viagra Boys, Dina Ögon) to create work that captures the beauty, weight, and intensity of life as experienced in the 2020s. It’s a journey from the “Top of the World” to the “End of the World” and a reflection of the evils, struggles, and ongoing challenges of our era, while still appreciating the small moments and discovering wonder in the ordinary.
“I penned many of the songs during and after the pandemic, reflecting on my internal journey, as well as those around me and the tight-knit community I grew up in,” Logan shared with Atwood Magazine. “I co-wrote the album with my longtime collaborator and producer Daniel Bengtson. Faraway Nearby delves into themes of personal fears and changes, isolation, loss, aging, hope, and finding your place in the world. I aimed for the lyrics to address the impact of global events and growing social isolation while also emphasizing the significance of finding moments of connection and hope. We drew inspiration from 1970s Laurel Canyon, Fleetwood Mac, Midlake, Tom Petty, and Nick Drake, among others.”
“It definitely carries on naturally from my first album, though I’d describe Everly Foreverly as more acoustic and sun-soaked,” she elaborated. “It was a creative expression rooted in personal loss within my family and my connections to California. Faraway Nearby shifts focus to the external world, addressing a collective response to the uncertainty we all encounter.”
With half of the songs written during the pandemic and the other half from 2023 to 2024, Faraway Nearby intertwines Logan’s experiences of solitude, upheaval, and disconnect with persistent feelings of instability, longing, and anxiety that have become prevalent in society since the global emergency receded.
“My initial vision was to create more ‘hard’ sounding songs with a focus on electric guitars, but I realized I could achieve that sound using piano and drums, particularly on tracks like ‘Mirrors’ and ‘Forever Changes Around,’” she stated. “I believe most artists enter a recording project with a vision, but ultimately the songs guide the direction, leading to a growth and evolution of that initial idea.”
Logan openly characterizes Faraway Nearby as a melancholy yet hopeful and spiritual album. The title itself was inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting, From the Faraway Nearby.
“She would sign her letters to loved ones far away with that phrase,” Logan explained. “That phrase inspired me with its physical and psychological implications of distance and closeness. We all share a universal longing for connection, yet in her art, she merged what we see as near and far by highlighting a flower’s significance against the vastness of a mountain
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Swedish singer-songwriter Julia Logan contemplates her heartfelt, enchanting, and nostalgic second album 'Faraway Nearby,' a work that encapsulates the tension of distance, both tangible and emotional, during a period of uncertainty.