Lyrically, "Brief Moment" refers to a series of emotional events that Oh Land endured in the years leading up to Family Tree in 2019.

Following the release of her fourth studio album Earth Sick in 2014, Oh Land devoted her time to a number of side projects, such as recording the soundtracks for Askepot (2016) and Watermusic (2018), and a rendition of Denmark's national anthem for the 2018 television series The Rain.

[1][2][3] In 2018, she confirmed that her then-upcoming album was set for release in 2019 and would be inspired by the recent events of her personal life, such as the divorce from her husband, her second pregnancy, and relocating back to Denmark.

[3][4] To initiate songwriting sessions, Oh Land began to focus on playing the piano again, resulting in a sound and tonal shift for the album.

[4] Carson Aguilar from Qrewcial stated the song "bridges a gap between the deeply personal and hopeful", and that "its lyrics cut deep".

[6] Ida Rud, writing for Berlingske, equated the opening lyrics ("I don't really like to run / But lately I have found it fun / To sprint around the lakes as if my life depended on it / Just so I could tell you about it") to the content of a young person's diary entry.

[15] "Brief Moment" was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics; some selected it as a highlight on Family Tree and others labeled the song unfinished.

[4] Kristina Grønning, writing for Gaffa, highlighted both "Brief Moment" and "Human Error" for building up the track listing's momentum, calling the rest of the album rather slow-paced.

[14] Thomas Treo, from Ekstra Bladet, also provided a negative opinion of the song, writing that its melody feels incomplete and labelling the lyrics a missed opportunity.

The event took place during the first week of August 2019, with Oh Land performing "Brief Moment" in between fellow Family Tree track "Sunlight" and her 2013 single "Renaissance Girls".

In her review of the show, Andrea Washuus Bundgaard from Gaffa enjoyed Oh Land's delivery of "Brief Moment", calling it full of grace and highly sincere.