Laufey Captures the Essence of Young Adulthood
Janeth Gomez ’29
gomezj96@lakeforest.edu
Staff Writer
Laufey’s latest album, “A Matter of Time,” sounds like the soundtrack to a romcom with the highs and lows of young heartbreak, one shaped by her background in classical music.
She has won the hearts of millions through her music online, but her journey began in early childhood, influenced by her violinist mother and her violin professor grandfather. She first played violin at age four. Then, at the age of 15, she made her debut as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, further showcasing her musical talent.
That talent is made evident in her new album, “A Matter of Time”, which was released on Aug. 22. It opens with the song “Clockwork” and Laufey singing “ding, dong, ding, dong,” like it’s a theme song for a sitcom from the ’50s. The song’s vintage sound is perfectly juxtaposed with a modern love story.
Laufey’s classic sound is also evident in the eighth track of the album, “Cuckoo Ballet Interlude.” The song itself is whimsical and reminiscent of music from the ballet, “The Nutcracker.” It begins with a hopeful tone as bells and a rhythm mimicking a clock play. “Cuckoo Ballet Interlude” serves as a dreamlike intermission between the songs.
The album, however, is mostly a culmination of stories told by Laufey herself that, together, convey the cyclical nature of love, heartbreak and their inevitability in a young person’s life.
Two of the most intimate and revealing songs on the album are “Carousel” and “Forget Me Not.”
“Carousel” resembles a song that would play on an actual carousel, with a waltz-like rhythm that moves at the same pace as a carousel. At this waltz-like pace, Laufey describes a cycle of hope being disrupted by disappointment that she is trying to break free from. The nostalgic sound, combined with the lyrics, paints a vivid picture of a girl in love experiencing a carousel-like experience of love and romance.
In “Forget Me Not”, Laufey sings in a soft and luring voice, “I left my own homeland to chase reverie.” She describes a heartbreak that stems from losing yourself while chasing a dream. And it is, by far, the most poignant song of the whole album. With her haunting vocals singing the lyrics in Icelandic, her native language, and backed by the orchestra in which she debuted at 15, Laufey captures the sorrow of missing your roots.
Something that has drawn so many young music lovers to Laufey is her simple yet relatable lyrics. “A Matter of Time” speaks to a universal truth for young women facing adulthood, while the third track on this album, “Snow White” expresses the experience of not feeling good enough, pretty enough, or talented enough.
The last track on the album, “Sabotage,” ends chaotically in a drastic shift from the rest of the songs on this album. The song begins softly and purely with Laufey’s gentle singing and a single piano playing, but the calm is disrupted by a storm of stringed instruments. “Sabotage” is riddled with screeching strings, intensifying, then stopping suddenly. The strings reappear throughout the song in sudden bursts, foreshadowing an explosive ending and an inevitable end to the happy relationship.
It’s clear from these songs that Laufey believes she has a habit—like many young adults trying to protect themselves from hurt—of self-sabotaging her relationships, and she warns her partner, whom she is speaking to within the song, of this.
“A Matter of Time” is a masterfully created reflection of Laufey. It serves as a lyrical journal with intimate lyrics that reveal Laufey’s most personal thoughts and feelings. The songs on the album pair whimsical, dreamlike chords with hard-hitting, raw lyrics. If you’re a young adult facing romance and its ups and downs, this album is like a hand to hold you as you go through every step of it.