Indie-pop upstarter and producer Brijs shares new video for 'Glitra'

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

After the enormous response he received for his new single ‘Glitra’, released at the end of April, indie-pop artist, producer and composer Brijs has now unveiled the new official video for his breakthrough release.

The video, shot and edited by the artist himself, catalogues a two-year period he and a gang of friends spent living in a dilapidated mansion, Cecil Court. Combining day -o-day moments of ‘Cecilian’ life and a road trip to a rural French village near Angouleme, the video aims to capture the warmth of that time.

Speaking about the inspiration behind it, he said, “About 6 months into our time at Cecil, I went into a local second hand camera shop and bought an old Sony SLR for about £150. I had such a strong feeling of wanting to capture what we were experiencing and I kept the camera with me pretty much all the time from that day, documenting everything I could. Sure enough, 18 months down the line, I found myself piecing together the music video with no shortage of material. 

“It's been a bittersweet experience - the process of distilling all those incredible moments and memories down into this one three and half minute video has been like an intense magnifying glass on what was honestly the happiest time of my life. The video is an earnest attempt to hold on to it as best I can - a visual love letter to those friends and that time.”

‘Glitra’ is Brijs’ first outing as an artist for some time, working predominantly as a composer, you may have heard Brijs’ work on numerous award-winning film and TV projects for the BFI, BBC and Channel 4, as well as commissions for Mario Testino, Rankin, Kurt Geiger and Liu Jo. His talents as a songwriter and producer have also landed him upcoming collaborations with artists including Will Joseph Cook, Girli and Indian Askin. 

A slice of anthemic and effervescent pop, ‘Glitra’ is imbued with the spirit of an art-house coming-of-age movie. Spacious production, driving percussion and layers of textured vocals coalesce to create something euphoric that’s brimming with boundless possibility. 

Having already secured a sync placement with iconic fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger with the song, Brijs describes ‘Glitra’ as an “unashamed love song to friendship”. 

‘Glitra’ is the title track from his upcoming debut album, due for release later this year. The record was crafted over a two-year period following the artist’s decision to leave London and return to the countryside near where he grew up. In search of a much-needed opportunity to recalibrate and re-assess his direction, he took up a property guardianship of a dilapidated Victorian mansion called Cecil Court. The house becomes home to a newly formed group of friends who spent an idyllic chapter together as an inseparable gang - walking, river swimming, partying, and making music. This time creates the narrative backbone of his debut album

Speaking about the record, Brijs says: “It’s about the pursuit of yourself and your values in your mid-20s. All of the things you hear about coming of age are usually about your teens. That’s still true, but we stay younger for longer now. Your mid-20s is when you start thinking, feeling and living independently. That’s when you really start to grow into adulthood and look at friendship, relationships and ambitions differently.” 

The record was produced by Rob Brinkmann, long-serving engineer of RAK studios (Drake, Royal Blood, Pixies, Clean Bandit and Mumford & Sons) and mixed and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road by Oli Morgan (Bastille, Princess Nokia). The vivid artwork for the single was painted by Brijs himself. 

“All I want to do is tell a story” … Explaining his decision to release the last song on the album first, Brijs jokes: “I was thinking - what would George Lucas do?.. Here’s the destination, now stick around for the journey.” A fitting film reference to both start and end this chapter of Brijs’ life. The curtain’s about to come up on ‘Glitra’ - a musical landmark for 2020 - both an arthouse gem and a true blockbuster.

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