If modern-day heartbreak was scored like a Golden Age Disney film, it would sound a lot like Laufey’s A Matter of Time (2025).
Grounded in sweeping strings and orchestral grandeur, the Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter’s latest record continues where she last left off. Just like in her sophomore project Bewitched (2023), A Matter of Time blends the wistful elegance of jazz-influenced pop with witty lyricism and a hefty dose of sentimental longing, while also branching into new genres and sounds. Laufey’s voice, with its signature vintage warmth, brings her lyrics to life in a way that is both personal and cinematic. She tells stories of nostalgia, insecurity, finding closure, and more. In doing so, she whisks listeners away on a journey through beginnings, endings, and everything in between.
The theme of time is, as the title suggests, central to the album. A Matter of Time begins with three tolls of a bell as a choir sings in the distance, “Ding, dong / Ding, dong,” ushering in “Clockwork,” a simple song telling the story of a first date in Laufey’s classic, jazz-inspired style. The time motif continues in titles like “Too Little, Too Late” and “Cuckoo Ballet (Interlude).” Time also appears in the lyrics, through both conceptual references and literal clock imagery, binding the whole record together through a clear thematic thread. In “Castle in Hollywood,” she reflects on the passing of the seasons—“I thought that lilies died by winter, then they bloomed again in spring”—and in “Silver Lining,” she admits, “I met you at the worst time.”
The project’s sound is somewhat scattered, as many tracks venture outside of Laufey’s signature jazz sound and experiment with a more pop-forward style—a move she explored briefly on Bewitched, but develops more fully here. Though this exploration adds a fresh take to her discography, it can feel slightly disjointed when looking at the album as a whole, and it leaves questions about the direction Laufey may be headed in future projects. “Snow White” and “Sabotage,” for example, are pure, emotional ballads. The former is a lament about feelings of imperfection and insecurity, and the latter is a reflection on her tendency to self-sabotage relationships. Alternatively, songs like “Castle in Hollywood” and “Tough Luck” are guitar-driven pop songs with a Taylor Swift-esque rhythm, a comparison that makes sense once you realize that frequent Swift collaborator Aaron Dessner is one of the album’s primary producers.
One of the tracks that diverges most significantly from Laufey’s existing discography is “Clean Air,” which incorporates plucky guitar instrumentation and layered vocal harmonies. These elements give the track a strong country-pop feel, similar to some acoustic tracks on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short and Sweet (2024). In the song, Laufey explores the process of moving on from a past relationship, singing, “Sweeter pastures / Wait for me like a lover,” or more bluntly: “Get the fuck out of my atmosphere.”
Like the rest of the more experimental tracks on A Matter of Time, “Clean Air” ventures into a different genre sonically, contributing to an album that can feel incohesive at times. Yet, its familiar conversational lyricism and wit ensure it still belongs within Laufey’s broader body of work. What ultimately ties the varied tracklist together is the instrumental centerpiece “Cuckoo Ballet (Interlude).” The interlude interpolates melodies from “Lover Girl,” “Snow White,” “Carousel,” and other tracks, combining them into an enchantingly charming classical medley. The piece highlights her skills not just as a songwriter but also as a composer, grounding the record in timeless elegance despite its modern influences.
Still, Laufey shines the brightest in the genres that have set her apart in the indie-pop sphere: jazz and bossa nova. For instance, “Lover Girl” is a catchy love song with fills of syncopated claps and playful woodwinds that complement the warm timbre of her voice delightfully as she sings, “Oh, what a curse it is to be a lover girl.” “Mr. Eclectic” is another noteworthy addition to the tracklist, with a lively bossa nova beat and royally brutal lyrics describing Laufey’s experiences with self-aggrandizing mansplainers: “Truth be told, you’re quite pathetic / Mr. Eclectic Allan Poe / … What a poser, you think you’re so interesting.” She creates a juxtaposition, blending a mellow, easygoing sound with the razor-sharp language of 21st-century dating—a combination that is prevalent throughout her writing, making it instantly recognizable.
Again returning to her more typical influences, “Forget-Me-Not” is a haunting orchestral ode to the country of Iceland, where Laufey grew up. Longing for the “black sand beach” and “stone cold kiss” of her childhood home, she sings in Icelandic, “Gleymdu mér aldrei þó ég héðan flýg / Gleymdu mér aldrei elskan mín,” or in English: “Don’t forget me, even though I’m leaving / I love you, I’ll love you forever.” Including lyrics in Icelandic—the first time she has done so on an original track—amplifies the emotional weight of the song, grounding it firmly in her homeland.
By the time the album reaches its final notes on “Sabotage,” Laufey has struck a delicate balance between the old and the new. Sharp observations and biting remarks about ex-boyfriends (and ex-best friends) sit alongside tender arrangements that anchor the album in a bygone era. In A Matter of Time, love may be fleeting, but Laufey makes every second count with a signature that is, without a doubt, uniquely hers.
