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On strikingly honest new album When I Get Through, Minnesota born singer-songwriter Breymer, aka Sarah Walk (she/they), explores their relationship with gender and identity – specifically tracking Walk’s experience undergoing top surgery, from making the decision to the process itself. The album comes out October 18 via One Little Independent Records.

Breymer utilizes a rich array of instrumentation elevated by a standout vocal performance, raw lyricism, and textured production by Grammy-nominated Tyler Chester. Exquisite, layered vocal harmonies across the record enforce its reflective themes, and at times the conversation seems to be internal, with much of the record posing questions such as “Am I better now?”, “Am I on the wrong path?”, “Who am I?”. When I Get Through examines a journey of self-discovery. It’s introspective and transformative, and it’s a testament to the strength of its lead; someone willing not just to make the choice, but to document the emotional experience in its entirety.

On their decision to change their artist name, Walk explains, “Choosing a name requires a certain amount of agency and intentionality. This album feels bold and gender non-conforming, and Breymer feels like it represents all of that and suits the music really well. Bremer is my middle name and has always been intriguing to me; I like that it’s androgynous and uncommon (I changed the spelling slightly to make it even more so), and I like that it separates my artist existence from my personal one. I want Breymer to be the encapsulation of the confidence and celebration in my own body that I needed to see when I was going through this process.”

Revelatory and radically insightful, When I Get Through bares all as Breymer takes listeners through every stage of their pursuit for self-acceptance. Unlike anything that has come before it, Walk’s ideas surrounding their own physical and mental progress are candid, authentic and ultimately breathtaking. Amidst a body of deftly constructed songcraft and extraordinary poeticism, Breymer has penned a companion piece for anyone in search for their true selves.

The LP opens with the acoustic, euphoric self-realisation of “The Truth,” about the friction and then strengthening of their friendships. Walk shares, “‘The Truth’ begins the album with a very zoomed-in moment where I’m across the table from a friend at a bar. It was the first conversation I’d ever had (outside of my partner) where I voiced my considerations of top surgery to someone else. It was still something buried very far within me, and I knew that once I uncovered it and said it out loud that it would become real, and I would be somewhat accountable. Tyler wanted to keep the original voice memo of this song idea that I sent him. The birds you hear in the beginning are the birds that were outside my house when I recorded this, and I love the sound of hope that they start the record with.”

Single “Medication,” with its lush, indie-pop sensibilities is “a song about denial. It’s an interesting thing being on anti-depressants and/or anti-anxiety medication, because I find myself constantly wondering ‘am I feeling better?’ or ‘what are the limits of how much this could improve how I feel?’ I found this especially confusing and frustrating during my top surgery journey because I was desperately begging for something - anything, to help me feel better in my body, without having to face the reality myself.”

Like “Medication,” “Wrong Path”and “Darkness” were co-written with teacher and musician Raven Katz. “I brought in my dear friend Raven to help me shell it out and figure out the best approach. ‘Wrong Path’ is really a song about insecurity masked as self-doubt. It’s about the realization that something needs to change, and sitting in that feeling before having the strength or confidence to act upon it. There is also this underlying element of frustration with myself for my lack of courage (as I saw it at that moment).

I initially wrote ‘Darkness’ for my wife when she was going through a tough time. It was meant as a comfort song for her, but I think I ended up being comforted by it just as much in a different way. I felt it was important to show that even when you’re suffering (and often times because of it) being a support system for someone else can remind you of your strength and your ability to crawl out of whatever place you’re in. It’s never hard for me to believe in my wife and know that she will be okay, and being able to offer some of that reassurance to her was a way for me to know that I would be okay, too.”

Album highlight “The Feeling (When I See You)” is an intimate, atmospheric anthem about envy and seeing people with characteristics you admire, or even desire, but it’s also about finding inspiration in the courage of others. It’s co-written with Ukrainian-American composer Julia Piker. It’s followed by “Part Of Me,” which was written in one sitting, on the day Walk booked their date for surgery. “I had been so preoccupied with finding the right surgeon, and getting insurance figured out, that once the moment actually came I realized I had nothing else to distract myself with, and what was left staring back at me frightened me deeply. I began wondering if altering my body in this way was somehow ungrateful to the body I had been fortunate enough to have. I kept thinking about femininity and masculinity and how I can hold on to both in a way that felt authentic to me. I love how the production on this song embodies that juxtaposition of femininity and masculinity; fragility and panic.”

‘Better Friend’ is riff-heavy, with an addictive hook, and like much of the album, it’s epiphanic. Walk continues: “As I’ve gotten older, friendship has evolved and shifted into something that requires more reflection, communication, and awareness. One of the surprising things about my top surgery journey was how much it impacted other avenues of my life which I wasn’t expecting. ‘Better Friend’ is about the process of reconciling what I needed to do for myself, recognizing that I can show up better for those around me.”

Gorgeous piano ballad “Who Am I?” is evocative and deeply resonant in its fragility. Walk tells us that it’s “definitely the most vulnerable and difficult song on the album for me. I think the song speaks for itself, but it’s really a moment of fear about not being what your partner might want you to be, while simultaneously not knowing who you want to be. It was this creeping panic before my surgery that somehow, going through with this would alter how my wife saw me, but I think it was more so about my own fear with how I would see myself. The build up at the end feels chaotic and like a breaking point, and I think sometimes in life you get to a moment where you realize you have a choice in how much weight you carry. The end of this song is like that kind of moment, where I decide I can no longer live in this space of debilitating self-doubt.”

There’s a steady heartbeat within “When I Get Through” that continues as the track shifts and builds around it, amplifying the central theme of transformation. Walk says, “It feels like a much-needed reclamation of self and certainty. I loved using the image and metaphor of driving a car and getting out of a place that no longer serves you; putting your feet down on the gas and not looking back. The main piano part which I wrote the song around doesn’t come in until the final verse, as this awaited triumphant puzzle piece that makes everything click into place. I see this song as the turning point in the album narrative.”

“The Night Before” mirrors “The Truth,” setting the scene again across the table from a loved one, but this time from a very different emotional state. "My inner dialogue at this part of the album is so far from where it was at the beginning. By the end of the previous song, there begins to be a glimmer of confidence and assurance. I wanted 'The Night Before' to extend and build upon that feeling of comfort and exhalation. This song recounts the night before my surgery when my Mom and I went out to dinner. It's such a visceral memory. There's this back-and-forth conversation of concern and comfort that my Mom and I provide each other, both in this specific moment and throughout our relationship. This was the first time that I was able to reassure someone else that this was the right decision, and I was going to be okay.”

Album closer “Anesthesia” takes the listener up to the final moments of the operation. Walk shares, “This idea came to me as a sort of trance like, hypnotic two chord repeated progression that then expands and flowers into a part B. I wanted this second section to feel like you’ve been lifted and carried away, finally released from the trauma and difficulty that preceded this album”. The beautiful original string score was arranged by John Arndt and recorded at Sonic Ranch studios. “I remember those final feelings before the surgery so vividly and wanted to really paint the picture; ‘blueish green lights swirling around my head’ building up to the final repeated lyric chanting ‘it’s almost over now, you can take over now…”

A graduate of Berklee College of Music (alumni includes St Vincent, Aimee Mann, Melissa Ethridge among others), Walk grew up in Minnesota but has spent much of their time living between Los Angeles and London. They worked on debut album ‘Little Black Book’ with producer Steve Brown (Laura Mvula) and co-produced their second, ‘Another Me’, with Leo Abrahams (Regina Spektor, Belle and Sebastian, Paul Simon, Pulp, David Byrne, Brian Eno).

Last year, Breymer appeared on the soundtrack for The Buccaneers, where they collaborated with Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa. The Apple Original drama series featured a star-studded tracklist including Sharon Van Etten, Miya Folick, Gracie Abrams, AVAWAVES and more.