Synopsis

The video is an atmospheric, surreal portrait of Stockholm that favors a dreamlike art-film presentation over a conventional performance narrative. Urban surroundings and enigmatic visual moments create a sense of movement through a city that feels both real and slightly unreal, reflecting the track's layered, psychedelic mood. The images work less as a literal illustration of the lyrics than as an evocative companion to New Beard's dense arrangement and Gustav Ejstes' musical presence.

Factoids & Trivia

• Ben Wigler wrote "Given" in 2001, during his first year of college in Rochester. He said he recorded the song eight different ways before arriving at the version released by New Beard.

• The video was released on Stereogum on November 11, 2011. Wigler marked the occasion with a tattoo reading "11/11/11," calling the song's arrival nearly a decade after its composition one of the most validating moments of his artistic life.

• The Stockholm setting reflects Gustav Ejstes' importance to the project. Ejstes helped complete the record, added instrumental parts and vocals, and worked on additional overdubs in Stockholm.

• The video brought together New Beard's Brooklyn-based music and the Stockholm visual world associated with Ejstes and Jenny Palen. Wigler said Ejstes' response to the song helped convince the collaborators that New Beard was artistically worth taking seriously.

• A section of "Given" later inspired "Wedding Waltz," a short instrumental interlude created by Ejstes. He liked the melody and wrote a flute introduction around it.

• "Given" first appeared on New Beard's 2011 EP "Moment of Peace" and was later included in a longer form on the 2012 album "New Beard City."