Dealing in brutal honesty, authenticity, and self-loathing, Literally Everything is the new single from Danish-Faroese artist Brimheim. It follows up on her 2022 debut album, Can’t Hate Myself Into A Different Shape, and teases her planned sophomore album.
The person behind Brimheim is Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter Helena Heinesen Rebensdorff, whose stage name references her Faroese roots, translating to “home of the breaking waves”.
Literally Everything is a heart-wrenching piece of electronic pop, taking a dash of the experimental aesthetics of Caroline Polachek, then applying them to the melodic drama of Kate Bush, and the darkness of PJ Harvey. Here on her latest single, Brimheim’s vocal sits in line with the song’s melodies, sliding between the song’s soft, muted instrumentation. Atmospheric drums and deep bass tones provide the song with just a touch of reassuring certainty, even whilst the vocals tell a different story:
”Throughout my life, I've behaved in a lot of self-destructive ways, attempting to fill this deep, barren void inside of me with everything from drugs to self-harm. But more than anything else, I’ve had to reckon with an unquenchable desire for other people’s approval and adoration, both as a human being and as an artist. That’s what 'Literally Everything' is about – the overwhelming impulse to sacrifice everything, including my self-respect, in exchange for a moment of admiration.”
Check out the music video for Literally Everything, shot on the Faroe Islands by Faroese artist Heiðrikur á Heygum, below: