Single Premiere – Julia Logue, “Here We Are”

Julia Logue has arrived. In her new single, “Here We Are,” the Portland vocalist lets herself into your headspace, declaring a presence that can’t be ignored. After what has been an incredibly insular few years, there’s a part of us that’s forgotten what it means to relate, even to those closest to us. In the opening lines, she speaks to a partner, who it seems has done just that: “You said, Honey I wish it was just you and me/there’s so many people in this world I can’t hear myself think/I want a big house, a big car and Hollywood, that way I know I’ll finally feel good/but here we are.”

There’s a particular realm of subjectivity located in the tension between the real and the imagined, and it’s that space that Logue sets out to explore. “Here We Are” challenges our desires to live in a fantasy by presenting us with the vital vibrancy of another person there with us, opening up the possibility of a shared moment. Logue draws from neo-soul and contemporary Jazz to create a light yet driving soundscape, evocative of flighty imaginings but also eminently danceable.

In addition to the single, Logue has also released a video of a live studio version of “Here We Are,” adding another dimension to the track, and serving as a demonstration of her chops as a performer, and her easy report with her band. The camera glides with Logue through the studio as she sings, and the two impressively long shots stitched together seamlessly work to underscore her presence here, in the now.