By SOPHIA GRANDE, JRN 101 student
Born and raised in Reykjavik, Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey has been a growing sensation since the 2022 release of her first studio album, Everything I Know About Love. Known for her bossa nova style, her latest fusion of jazz, classical, and pop takes the form of A Matter of Time, her third studio album.
Released in August, the album revolves around the theme of time: running out of time, reminiscing on a past time, anticipating time. Its cover depicts a clock face, on which Laufey lies horizontally, with her legs acting as the clock’s hands.
The opening track, “Clockwork,” begins with vocals that mimic the ticking of a clock. Its use of piano gives this song the familiar jazz element that distinguishes Laufey from other modern singers.
Next, Laufey returns with her bossa pop attitude in the song “Lover Girl.” We can see many similarities between this track and “From the Start,” a previous hit. It’s the type of song you listen to while you’re dancing around the room that you’re supposed to be cleaning.
The song “Forget-Me-Not” is written as a love letter, but it isn’t addressed to a significant other. Laufey is actually expressing her love for her home country of Iceland. In the lyrics, she begs her country not to forget her even though she has gone away and abandoned it to chase her dreams elsewhere.
The chorus of this song is in Icelandic, and the lyrics roughly convey the message, “I love you always, don’t forget me.” In an interview, Laufey stated that her attempt to write this part in English felt dishonest, as if she were telling someone that she loves them in a language they don’t speak. This is her first song to include Icelandic lyrics, deepening its intimate connection to her her homeland. The song has a bold orchestral accompaniment with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
It’s the type of song you listen to while you’re dancing around the room that you’re supposed to be cleaning.
That kind of addition is evident in many of her songs. In songs whose orchestral accompaniments aren’t as grand as a symphony orchestra, Laufey commonly utilizes her own proficiency in the cello to add a string element to her music. For example, “Cuckoo Ballet” acts as a completely instrumental interlude. Throughout the piece, Laufey incorporates themes and leitmotifs from other songs on the album, improvising on their melodies in typical jazz fashion.
One of my favorite tracks on this album is “Too Little, Too Late.” Every song in her discography tells a story, and in this one, Laufey takes on a different persona as she tells a story from a man’s point of view. The lyrics describe his discovery of an old love’s engagement. The song narrates the emotions that come with his realization that it’s too late to change the fate of their relationship; that she is never coming back to him.
This track is a really raw depiction of emotion from a man, considering the masculine tendency to bottle things up. It’s his honest feelings about the situation; the lyrics explain that when she asks him how he’s doing, he doesn’t know what to say to her because he thinks she should be marrying him instead. It’s very bittersweet.
From describing the fear of not being beautiful enough in “Snow White” to conveying the emotion of losing a friend in “Castle In Hollywood,” Laufey’s music is unwaveringly honest. The honesty of her music is what makes it so enjoyable to listen to; it’s relatable, and not only in the way of any average breakup song. She does more than just whine over boys. Listeners can resonate with a variety of unique and specific themes in her music.
The themes in A Matter of Time are evident not only in its name, but they are also embedded in its tracks in numerous ways. “Clockwork” and “Cuckoo Ballet” musically incorporate the sounds of clocks. “Forget-Me-Not” begs not to forget as time goes on. “Too Little, Too Late” laments not getting there in time. “Castle In Hollywood” is about mourning what you invested in a lost friendship. Her themes are unique but universal, interweaving with her distinctive style to give her music a sense of timelessness.
This album leaves you pondering the memories, situations, and other events that have taken place in and shaped your own life. It’ll provoke you to reflect even on just the forty-five minutes you spent listening to the album, because it’s all just a matter of time.
Velocity 
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