A Matter of Time by Laufey: An Album Review
- Hadley Homan
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Laufey, a contemporary musician who blends pop, jazz, and classical music into a captivating style both nostalgic and relatable in its modern themes, released a sensational new album recently, titled A Matter of Time. She is an Icelandic singer, her name pronounced Lay-vay, who has recently gained popularity over her unique musical style. I have always enjoyed Laufey's music, as it always felt very singular, timeless, and beautiful, but oftentimes it seemed too refined, too complex, too deep to listen to casually. I had a hard time fitting it into a playlist. This album changed that for me. I've been able to listen to the album on repeat. Not only the individual songs, but the album as a whole. It is romantic, nostalgic, relatable, and heartfelt. Most of all, though, it is truly masterful. Every song adds to a gorgeous collective, cohesive sound yet each song shines.
The album begins with "Clockwork," an upbeat, jazzy song about falling in love. The song begins with enchanting notes imitating the tolling of a clock. It perfectly encapsulates the tone of the album, tying the visuals, musical undertones, and theme of passing time, growing up, and falling in love together. Immediately Laufey's vocals stun. They sweep from line to line, mixing with the softer piano, cello, violin, and guitar. The song feels as though she is telling a story, singing in front of you at a jazz club.
The next song is easily the most popular song of the album. "Lover Girl" moves from the relaxing soft tones of "Clockwork" to an even more exciting, faster paced, joyful tune.
It has an underlying, consistent snapping that further evokes a fast pace passing of time. She also incorporates clapping with cheerful strings, drums, and piano to give the song the feeling of joy, uptempo movement, and the euphoria of being in love. Her lyrics are catchy and deeply relatable. Her vocals stretch through the verses then sprint through the chorus. As fun and upbeat as a pop song, Laufey takes classical and jazz elements to make the song timeless. It flows, the careful writing and composing shining through.
The tone then shifts to a slow, heartfelt ballad. "Snow White" dives into insecurities, both in personal identity, appearance, and relationships.
It is a short song, detailing the struggles of womanhood and girlhood alike. I connected deeply with this song, as like anyone- I've felt insecurities about my appearence that impact my personal identity, especially as a woman. Guitar instrumentals create a slow, soft background for Laufey's whimsical vocals. It is short and sweet, offering an additional layer to her investigation of time through the lense of growing up.
"Castle In Hollywood" brings back the upbeat tempo with acoustic fast guitar mixed with violin and cello. This song details friendship. She reminisces on how a friendship ended, exploring the pain as well as the happiness it brought her. The movement from childhood to adulthood marked by the conclusion of a childhood friendship is nostalgic and touching. She calls it "her fist heartbreak" saying she "thought lilies died by winter but then bloomed again in spring." The imagery and lyricism is beautiful, perfectly capturing the sentimental feelings of growing up. This song was fun and a nice tie back into the album after the slower, sadder "Snow White."
The album then takes on a more whimsical note with "Carousel." This romantic song uses the extended metaphor of spinning on a carousel to encapsulate the confusing, exciting, unpredictable, yet beautiful experience of falling in love. Laufey's vocals take over the song, the guitar and piano offering a nice combination that truly evokes a romantic feeling.
"Silver Lining" is slightly faster, with a deeper tone. It again feels as though she is performing at a jazz club, her vocals sweeping from deep succinct verses to powerful higher notes in the chorus. This song also details a romance, focusing more on the enthralling back and forth, anger, frustration, and passion at the start of a relationship. The strings create long flowing dips and rises, drawing out the time and emotion in the song. I really enjoyed this song, as it has a unique tone compared to the rest of the album despite a sense of cohesion in theme and instrumentals.
"Too Little Too Late" is an emotional song about unrequited love and tragic timing. Strings dominate the instrumentals, starting out slowly and softly but building to a tension filled, powerful conclusion. This song wasn't my favorite on the album, but it is always worth the listen to hear the buildup to that truly moving conclusion.
A unique and interesting part of her album is an interlude titled "Cuckoo Ballet," which combines the instrumentals for all the songs in the album, truly demonstrating the cohesive qualities of each song as a collective album.
The next song, "Forget Me Not" is in my opinion the most beautiful song on the album. It also evokes whimsy, romance, and nostalgia. It focuses more on Laufey's vocals, using instrumentals to boost the power and flow of her singing. The lyrics and voice are what make this song feel more heartfelt to me. She sings verses in Icelandic while also using vivid imagery that evokes deep emotion.
"Tough Luck" brings yet another new tone to the album with a fast paced, uptempo song with guitar, drums, and strings. She uses more humor in this song. It is genuinely fun to listen to, moving from fast to faster, with jokes, harmonies, and anecdotes about breakups.
"A Cautionary Tale" is another slower ballad about romance. Laufey's vocals remain stunning, bringing power to the emotions she conveys and creating a romanticized song portraying the hardships of romance as still beautiful.
Mr. Ecclectic picks up again with a fast paced piano evoking excitement. The piano and drums sound similar to clockwork, but still unique, tying the album to a transition to the conclusion.
"Clean Air" is also a fun, upbeat song about love. It feels euphoric, whimsical, and idealistic. Its essence is romantic, bringing out light and positive emotions.
The final song, "Sabotage," is surprisingly jarring. It begins with similar soft piano and strings, but then moves to abrupt sections of loud contradictory strings that evoke panic, confusion, anger, and passion all in one. It is a lovely, heartfelt conclusion about the passing of time in relation to romance, childhood, and other relationships.
The album overall is masterful. She blends the classic and the modern so well that her album can't easily be defined in a single genre. It is a fun listen, each song genuinely gorgeous musically, and the album contains a beautiful progression and conclusion. A few of these songs have become some of my favorite songs. I recommend this album to all music lovers and especially the fans of the romantic, heartfelt, upbeat yet emotionally deep music.
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