Laufey’s new album, “A Matter of Time,” needs to be immortalized. The rapidly growing Chinese-Icelandic artist showed slow improvement in her music despite her raging successes, but I am incredibly impressed with her most recent album. She blends the positive parts of her older music with the new, more melancholy songs she’s been creating recently. With 14 new songs, two being strong singles, Laufey shows that she is far from done creating spectacular music. A brief overview of the tracks should show the depth that she has reached in making this album.
It is impossible to speak on the strengths of this album without mentioning the singles released alongside it. “Silver Lining” and “Lover Girl” may be some of her best songs yet, and the wildly positive feedback they’ve received only continues to verify that. According to Henry Kei, another Quartz Hill High School student and a long-time listener of Laufey, “Lover Girl” is refreshing to hear as a more lighthearted song that dips into her roots in jazz. He acknowledges that it is mainstream and hits trends quickly, but it deserves the praise that it’s received for the impressive melody and lyricism. It definitely creates a romantic atmosphere and resembles a type of honeymoon phase that pleases listeners universally. Furthermore, “Silver Lining”, my favorite off the album, is a song that showcases yearning, and while it is not necessarily a happy track, it is certainly emotional and powerful. Releasing these singles first created necessary noise for the upcoming album, as well as retained listeners after its release. Immediately upon listening to these, I was already pleasantly surprised. Another Quartz Hill listener, Lily Sandoval, also agrees with my take on “Silver Lining”. She says that every song on the album was amazing, with one of its weaknesses being “A Cautionary Tale”. Both of these students agree that the album was incredibly strong all around and rated it a 9+ out of 10. Before I can rate the album, I believe it’s only fair that I go over more.
“Castle in Hollywood” is a unique, ballad-like song that brings a new genre to Laufey’s music. This song is another favorite among students, and tells an interesting story about the artist and how she’s moved past a hurtful relationship. It invokes strong emotion and is, overall, a very pleasant listening experience despite being about a more serious subject. Another of my favorites is “Clockwork”, the first song off the album. Not only is it a wonderful, whimsical introductory song to the album, but it is pure jazz, which is why I began listening to Laufey. It is creative, showcases her voice in a lower register, and amazingly starts the listening experience. I have to admit that jazz is not in everyone’s preferences, so this song and some of the others off the album certainly cannot appeal to everyone. However, in terms of her stylistic choices and musical compositions this time around, I believe she’s showcased her skill in production and in performance very well. Sad songs such as “Too Little”, “Too Late”, and “Snow White” have received some noise for the clear, amazing showcase of her voice, as well as the lyricism and truly debilitating melodies. It hurts to enjoy these songs quite as much as so many people do.
With the completion of this album, Laufey has produced an album worthy of her renown. Her jazz-inspired pop style is profoundly prevalent within the album. It is on the rather upbeat side compared to previous albums, albeit with slow swings such as “A Cautionary Tale”. She will never be shy about professing strong emotions, from lovesick to melancholic. Laufey’s legacy prevails as the world’s favorite modern jazz musician.
