REVIEW: “A Matter of Time” by Laufey

Review of Laufey’s latest album

Ceci Bennett, Captions Editor

September 19, 2025

Collected from Vingolf Recordings.

Back at it with a new album, Laufey released “A Matter of Time” only a year after the release of her previous hit album, “Bewitched”. Released on Aug. 22, “A Matter of Time” explores a variety of themes, ranging from tales of love and anger to insecurity and independence.

“A Matter Of Time” by Laufey

"Clockwork"

As the first track on this album, Clockwork set a great tone for the rest of the album. The analog clock sounds at the beginning foreshadow an old-timey vintage sound present throughout the album. I enjoyed this song because it sounds a lot like other of Laufey’s music so it was a smooth transition into the rest of the album. “Clockwork” includes her smooth voice with an upbeat production, which made me want to listen to the entire album right off the bat. It’s an easy listen; the light piano and strings are fun. What was really interesting was the use of staccato with the bells and the overarching strings give it a Christmas vibe.

"Lover Girl"

As soon as I listened to “Lover Girl”, I knew it would be a great addition to many of my playlists. It was a single released back in June, so it was nice to hear a familiar tune to dip my toes in the water. When I first listened to it, I fell in love with the bright production, which includes clapping and cello. The line “I wait by the phone like a high school movie” stuck out to me the most because of how it contrasts with the rest of the song.

"Snow White"

“Snow White” is one of the sadder songs on the album. It covers themes of body dysmorphia and how Laufey feels defined by her looks as a woman. I hear this reflected in her low voice acoustic guitar, which contrasts to the rest of the album’s upbeat production of bells, percussion and strings to highlight her impressive songwriting skills. My favorite line is “I don’t think I’m pretty, it’s not up for debate,” specifically because I was intrigued by the strong wording and it left me wanting more vulnerability to shine through Laufey’s music. When the acoustics feed into strings, it gives the song a more dramatic feeling which showcases the powerful message.

"Castle In Hollywood"

“Castle in Hollywood” is one of my favorite tracks on the album. The song talks about a friendship that fell apart when Laufey was young. My favorite part is the chorus, where she sings “I think about you always/ Tied together with a string” because her voice speeds up and brings out the joyous feeling this song is about. The bridge, where she sings the line “I wish you well, I wish like hell/You hadn’t lied, we could be fine” changes the whole vibe of the song by changing the key. That singular change gives the song a whole new layer of melancholy. The lyrics and production overall make it seem nostalgic.

"Carousel"

This is another song that makes the album feel Christmas-y. In “Carousel”, Laufey uses lots of bells and light drums to give it a holiday vibe. While the background music is happy sounding, her lyrics talk about how she likes someone but is scared he will realize he doesn’t like her back and will leave. My favorite line is “Carousel spinning around/Floating up and down/Nowhere to go/Will you break the spell?” because it brings an image of longing and fear; you can tell exactly what Laufey was feeling when she wrote this.

"Silver Lining"

Being released months before the rest of her album, “Silver Lining” was destined to be a hit from the start. The overall sound of the song is a bit different from the rest of the songs on the album, which I find refreshing. Her voice and the instruments sound a bit more muffled than other tracks, which made me listen closer and feel more drawn into the album. This song brings back a lot of Laufey’s classic vibes, such as the strings overlaid with her drawn out vocals. “Silver Lining” is quite easy to listen to and soothing.

"Too Little, Too Late"

Due to its slow rise of instrumentation and vocals, “Too Little, Too Late” distinguished itself from the rest of the album. Instead of having the entire song sound even, this track starts out slow and gains dimension as it continues. The piano morphs into a small orchestra as her emotion of mourning her relationship goes more in depth. The lines “I lay my sword down anyway/ I’ll see you at heaven’s gate” stuck out to me to show how Laufey is stepping away from her purely love-themed songs and getting more personal with her music.

"Cuckoo Ballet - Interlude"

I usually do not enjoy interludes in albums often, yet in this situation “Cuckoo Ballet” intrigued me. This song reminded me of old Disney princess movies because of the vintage sound made by the use of bells, flutes, and clarinets. As the song continues, that princess feeling swells and starts feeling true to its name, like a ballet. I finished listening to the song feeling cheerful and nostalgic.

"Forget-Me-Not"

“Forget-Me-Not” continues that nostalgic Disney movie feeling by incorporating a similar yet sadder sound compared to “Cuckoo Ballet”. This song stuck out to me because of its powerful orchestral background. The meaning behind this song is clearly important to Laufey because it encompasses her relationship with her birthplace of Iceland. There are multiple lines sung in Icelandic, which translate to “Never forget me even if I run away/Never forget me my love.” This song was special because she used her love of her homeland as inspiration.

"Tough Luck"

“Tough Luck” has had a chokehold on me ever since it was teased in early 2025. The first time I heard it, I was in a car with friends. They started singing it, yet I could still hear the power behind Laufey’s voice. I was immediately hooked. Laufey chose to channel her anger into the bridge where she sings “I should congratulate thee/For so nearly convincing me” and it works so well. The entire song feels like a release of emotion and tension. “Tough Luck” makes me remember how incredible Laufey’s vocals are and makes me appreciate her so much more. This is 100% my favorite song on the album.

"A Cautionary Tale"

“A Cautionary Tale” had so much potential, but just lacked in the production. Once again, Laufey’s vocals are phenomenal, yet it didn’t match the production at the same level as other songs on the album. The chorus, where she sings “I gave it too much, I gave myself up” didn’t get as strong as I would have liked for the powerful meaning of the lyrics. It seemed imbalanced to me. Yet other than the lack of power, the lyrics felt very personal and kept me intrigued.

"Mr. Eclectic"

“Mr. Eclectic” gives similar vibes to many of Laufey’s older tracks like “Falling Behind” because of the bright opening and happy lyrics.The beat-driven production was awesome! This song is also the first on the album to have a long instrumental section before the end of the song, which gives it a more whimsical feel. Another thing that makes this song special to me is that Clairo actually collaborated with Laufey to make the background vocals for this song! Knowing this made the quieter production stand out to me and seem more majestic.

"Clean Air"

My first impression of this song was that it sounded like Sabrina Carpenter. This is purely because of the joyful production including tambourine and acoustic guitar while the lyrics discuss a toxic relationship. The use of these contrasting aspects of production made it feel a bit like “Please, Please, Please” by Carpenter. It is clear to me why this song was placed near the end of the album: the lyrics in previous songs divulge into the struggles of her relationships, while “Clean Air” talks about how she feels free after ending those relationships.

"Sabotage"

I will admit, the first time I listened to “Sabotage” I thought something was wrong with my phone speaker. After restarting the song and listening to it more closely, I was immediately intrigued by the harsh and scraggly violin that is layered over the soft piano.The lyrics are a haunting end; they highlight her struggles of feeling lost in relationships and foreshadow what might be in the works next. It is clear that she lays herself bare to the audience at the end of the song. It was an extremely memorable end to a beautiful album.

As soon as “A Matter of Time” started playing, I was captivated by Laufey’s angelic voice and powerful lyrics of adoration and hatred. Throughout every song, I was taken aback by the sheer ability that Laufey has to captivate her listeners. She did an incredible job of keeping the sound of this album continuous and fresh. I am once again impressed by the production of Laufey’s music and am excited to see what she comes out with next.

About the Contributor

Ceci Bennett, Captions Editor

Ceci is a junior and Captions Editor for Free State Journalism. Her goals for this year are to get better running endurance, improve her photo skills and learn as much as she can. Outside of journalism, she is a part of National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, cross country, track and field and a myriad of clubs. Outside of school, Ceci loves to play piano, read tons of books, go camping and walk her dog, Teg.

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REVIEW: “A Matter of Time” by Laufey

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