Now a Grammy award winner, with Laufey’s third studio album, A Matter of Time, she offers a masterclass in emotional excavation that feels like a time travel anomaly. Her butterscotch voice and velvety strings invoke the best of the Jazz lounges that ruled the 1920s Gilded Age of America. Following the dreamy success of 2023’s Bewitched, Laufey has revamped her purpose, focusing on more self-aware and realistic depictions of love. A symbolic aging up in comparison to the idealist romantic landscapes she painted in her first two releases.
Released on August 22, 2025, through Vingolf Recordings and AWAL, with this new album, Laufey’s signature orchestral Jazz Pop still glimmers, but what sets this release apart is the focus of the lens. Her songwriting focuses on the smudges on the mirror rather than the beautiful reflection behind it. This startling approach injects raw emotion that is no doubt authentic. Tracks like “Snow White” and “Sabotage” peel back the gloss to reveal insecurities and societal pressures. On the track “Snow White,” she shows her inner thoughts, “The people want beauty, skinny always wins / And I don’t have enough of it,” exposing the need for perfectionism in a perfect society.
This social commentary is a classic approach in contemporary female music, and it is challenging to attribute these beliefs directly to Laufey herself. In all honesty, she is a stunning beauty with a skinny figure and an upturned nose. She fits into the beauty standards well, but it does not mean she is invalid for her thoughts, especially when other songs are taken into consideration. This is not an entirely autobiographical release; the stories are intended to connect to womanhood in general, not to Laufey.
The standout seems to be “Mr. Eclectic,” a bossa nova swing featuring Clairo’s backing vocals. Laufey attacks the performative male trope with her signature voice. Her singing alone is proof of her superiority to these suitors who are “just a stoner patronizing me.” She answers them with “Did you ever stop and give a wonder to/ just who you were talking to?” This song is a testament to Laufey’s realist and modern view of the world. She injects it into her classical training, which elicits an exciting juxtaposition. With that, you can be transported to the classical age with lyrics that remain understandable.
Another big moment comes in the surprisingly somber “Forget-Me-Not.” This track features the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and is also Laufey’s debut in the Icelandic language. It is a fluttering ballet piece that expresses homesickness and reverie in its lyrics while the strings create a hopeful yet melancholy landscape. All of the tracks on this album feel like an eruption of emotion, blending well into the title, A Matter of Time. Laufey is expressing the reality of repressed feelings, and eventually, they will boil over. However, in her case, the boiling eruption is still smooth, soft, and controlled. The evidence of the outbreak is released only through nuanced orchestral progressions and revelatory lyrics.
Strictly speaking, the sound quality of this release is professional-level, and Laufey’s vocal track is given an auditory boost in comparison to her accompaniment, which helps her stand out from what is otherwise a classical album. For true fans and sound geeks, listening to her two live albums will showcase the difference in sound between this new mix and her performances with the live orchestra. She stands out a lot more in A Matter of Time, taking the solo act to new levels. Of course, it is impossible to talk about this singer without bringing up her classical training and cello skills. An orchestra performer, Laufey’s smooth voice is only one part of her musical repertoire. She has polyphonic perception and can meddle with the sound of classical music as a means of bringing it to the contemporary canon. The cello accompanies her on a few tracks here and there, and always shows up at her live performances. The hollow embrace of sound it exudes draws the listener in and forces them to stay.
Overall, A Matter of Time is a breathy kiss goodbye from Laufey as she turns her lyrics into pointed knives of perception. Each track captures a specific feeling and articulates it in a smooth, alluring, and truthful manner. She finds her greatest success when her careful demeanor gives way and she allows her true thoughts and emotions to spill into her work. She is a songwriter who knows what she wants to say and is not afraid to speak it clearly. There are no clever images or subversions in her lyrics because she does not need them. A perfect blend of a soothing voice and an empowering classical orchestra, Cryptic Rock gives A Matter of Time 5 out of 5 stars.
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