Barbro’s introspective indie folk reflection “What Men Do” is a poignant, subtly radical tune exploring the process of unlearning ingrained behaviors and the unnoticed beginnings of resistance.
Listen: “What Men Do” – Barbro
Smoke, quiet, and a simmering tension just under the surface – a feeling you sense more than see.
Barbro’s latest single radiates like a soft ember, composed of gently flowing electric guitar chords and a haunting vocal that is both fragile and impactful. It captures the essence of attempting to articulate the invisible – the instinct, the disruption, the lingering void that grows after someone fails to meet you at your level.
Vulnerable and therapeutic, “What Men Do” resonates like a shiver down your spine, mapping the emotional journeys we navigate when the world remains unresponsive to our needs. It’s a gently smoldering indie folk daydream about the aftermath of pain and the subtle, oft-overlooked actions where resistance starts.
What Men Do – Barbro
I understand we won’t follow up
I let it go a long time ago
what men do in their moments of acting out
can barely detect the smoke anymore
from your hair to your jacket
calmly, I tidy up the table
I haven’t heard that sound yet
Atwood Magazine is excited to premiere “What Men Do,” the fourth single this year from Danish artist Barbro (they/them). Independently released on December 11, the song deepens their mix of folk-inspired intimacy and avant-garde pop experimentation while offering a glimpse into Crossfade, Barbro’s forthcoming album set to release on February 6, 2026. Known for intertwining poetic sincerity with subtly radical compositions, Barbro is part of a remarkable new wave emerging from Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) – a group that also features Astrid Sonne, ML Buch, and Clarissa Connelly, all reshaping Denmark’s experimental and folk-related scenes through curiosity, a DIY spirit, and insightful vision.
“The song ‘What Men Do’ revolves around acting out or reaching a breaking point (what even is the English language), but in its description, I ended up in emotional and musical loops, slowly realizing that acting out doesn’t always manifest in the sensational ways seen in films, but often reveals itself in actions like cleaning tables and tying knots,” Barbro explains to Atwood Magazine. “It initially started as a kind of eye-roll towards the flawed justification of men’s behavior, the boys-will-be-boys mentality, but it evolved into a reflection on the space we occupy in the world. I love performing this song live as well, using this unusual five-measure loop as a playground for expression, where each performance is slightly different.”
I haven’t heard that sound yet
telling me to stop my breathing
Do you know about this?
Word charmer like in a box set
fingers crossed I've tied my knots down
what men do when they’re acting out
Barbro © Jana van Brussel
“What Men Do” does not focus on men per se, as its title might imply, but rather on the emptiness that often surrounds them.
Barbro shapes this emptiness through repetition – a clear, looping melody; a gentle rhythmic pattern; lyrics that echo like someone pacing a familiar room. I get that we won’t follow up / I let it go a long time ago / what men do when they’re acting out. Each image is crafted to be intentionally simple, almost ordinary, which is exactly what lends it power. The emotional outburst Barbro describes is quiet, almost imperceptible: calmly I tidy up the table. The disruption hides within the routines.
The song’s five-measure structure serves as its emotional engine – a slow, spiraling exploration that warps time just enough to leave you feeling slightly unsteady, as if the ground beneath your feet is shifting. Their voice emerges with striking clarity, soft yet unwavering, conveying vulnerability and resistance simultaneously. This music does not conform to certainty; instead, Barbro allows the unresolved to remain vibrant, alive, and electric.
Ultimately, “What Men Do” serves as a meditation on unlearning – illustrating how even the smallest actions can carry great emotional significance, how the most difficult truths emerge in gestures rather than proclamations. It’s a song that perceives the world’s subtle currents while they’re still in flux.
In many respects, it foreshadows the world Barbro is creating in Crossfade. Their upcoming album originated in the deserted basement of their old school near Kolding Fjord, where they returned in 2024 to record in the empty art room of their youth. Those sessions brought memories into the present: neighbors stopping by with tools and cables, old friends offering small acts of support, the room echoing its own history. The result is a collection of work intricately folded and
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Barbro's gradually unfolding indie folk reflection "What Men Do" is a poignant and subtly revolutionary track that explores the process of unlearning ingrained behaviors and the subtle beginnings of resistance.