New Music: Julia Logan – Khala My Friend

When a song has a story behind a story, it gives it so much more meaning, especially when the song has such a pivotal role in music history.

Khala My Friend has an immediate familiarity to it, but I’m certain it’s completely new to me, as is its place in rock history. Some may recognise the song from TV shows Ted Lasso and High Maintenance. Though imbued with a 60s California vibe, that original version is by Amanaz, a band whose blending of psychedelic rock, British blues rock, and African rhythms set up presaged a lot of lo-fi rock when it was released in the mid-70s.

Julia Logan wears that legacy well, the harmonies and reverb adding a subtle tonal shift, her vocals having an easy fusion of folk and jazz that builds in time with the arrangement. The Swedish artist also uses those harmonies to slide the dial back to the 60s, recognising some of the songs’ origins, while making it her own; a perfect soundtrack for summers and friends that lie ahead.

“I came across Khala My Friend years ago and was immediately drawn to its mood—the fuzz guitar and the quiet tenderness in the lyrics,” states Logan.

“There’s a looseness to it that feels really intimate, and it really stayed with me. I recorded this version with my producer Daniel (producer and co-writer Daniel Bengtson) and a group of musicians, and it came together in a very collaborative way. We never released it at the time, but it kept coming back to me, so it feels right to finally share it.”

Khala My Friend was released via Dumont Dumont and can be heard on Spotify and Apple Music. For more listening and artist news, connect with Julia Logan on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.