It was only a matter of time until Laufey dropped a new album.

Famous pop artist Laufey released her third studio album, “A Matter of Time,” on Friday, Aug. 22, following “Everything I Know About Love” from 2022 and “Bewitched” in 2023. 

With such standouts as “Clockwork,” “Carousel” and “Sabotage,” Laufey has delivered another masterpiece that puts a jazz/classical combo and mixes it with beautiful, flowing vocals.

“The way the album’s sequenced is it starts with this hope and a little bit of fear of love—it’s a first date,” Laufey told NME. “And then as the album progresses, it falls more and more into anxiety, and falls apart.”

The album features fourteen songs and eclipses over 45 minutes of play time.

Laufey, as of Aug. 26, averages 19,968,377 monthly listeners on Spotify. The Icelandic-Chinese singer and songwriter has captivated people with her songs of love and self-discovery in a jazzy, classical sound. Her single “Street by Street” debuted at No.1 on Icelandic Radio, a part of her 2021 debut EP Typical of Me.

She currently has five billion global streams on Spotify and holds the record for the biggest jazz LP debut in Spotify history, “Bewitched,” which is also in Billboard’s Top 20. Laufey also earned the title as one of TIME’s Women of the Year for 2025.

As a big Laufey fan, I’ve now listened to all three of her albums. After listening to “A Matter of Time,” I have rated each song based on run time (rewards longer songs, but a song can’t be dragged out), lyrics, instrumentals and overall listenability.  

“Clockwork” 9/10

The best way for me to determine how good an album will be is based on the first song.  Laufey drops an amazing opening track to start off. The “ding, dong” that rings throughout the song draws the listener into a longing and suspended feel. Self-awareness in longing about dating a friend. A little longer of a runtime, and it would be a 10.

“Lover Girl” 9/10

“The hardest part of loving someone is being away from them. This is that story.” 

This is what Laufey had to say about “Lover Girl”, and I will admit, long-distance relationships are hard. Lyrics like “I wait by the phone like a high school movie” and “Dream at the shows you’ll come running to me” really drive how it can make you feel being separated from your partner. Combine that with the jazzy instrumentals, and you have a picture-perfect love song.

“Snow White” 8/10

This song slows down the tempo from the previous two, and the lyrics take up a heavier feel. I have always loved string instrumentals, and this song uses them perfectly. A song about chasing perfection hit a little too close to home. The crescendo of lyrics as she cries out her feelings hit hard, and truly made me reflect, but nonetheless is still an excellent listen.

“Castle in Hollywood” 8/10

“Snow White” into “Castle in Hollywood” just works really well. This song, about a past friendship ending, just hits just as deeply as a song about a breakup. Powerful vocals behind a steady, catchy beat rank this one high for me. Bonus points for song title.

“Carousel” 9/10

“My life is a circus” has to be one of the most relatable song lyrics in this album. “Carousel” is about the “fragile beauty of letting someone see you fully, mess and all.”  This is one of those feel-good songs. Pretty and calming instrumentals backed by soothing lyrics, this song really just makes me feel like I’m going around and around in circles.

“Silver Lining” 9/10

The first 11 seconds before she sings has some instrumentals that I absolutely enjoy. This song also showcases my favorite lyrics so far in the album. “We’ve been kissing on the playground, acting like little kids,” is a standout for me. Similar to “Carousel,” the beat just really pulls me over.

“Too Little, Too Late” 9/10

One of my favorite styles of songs is piano ballads, Adele-esque, with just a piano and singing, and this song features that perfectly. As it picks up, we add a beat, and it crescendos. These are all elements that just work together. Beautiful vocals to wrap it up for my high rating helped this to close an excellent first half of the album.

“Cuckoo Ballet – Interlude” 10/10 (Giv Certified)

I was a band student in high school. Classical music has always been one of my favorite genres. Interludes are usually not three and a half minutes long, but I welcomed this with open arms. This truly brought me back to spring concerts in the high school wind ensemble. Just overall great even without vocals and easily worthy of my first 10 rating.

“Forget-Me-Not” 10/10 (Giv Certified)

Stop reading this for a moment and listen to the first 35 seconds of this song. 

Just an absolutely breathtaking opening. 

Then Laufey comes in and enhances the song. Instrumentals, vocals, and run time all come together to bring a perfect listening experience.

“Tough Luck” 8/10

“When you’re screaming at the TV, cussing out opposing football teams” is me with the Denver Broncos. Tough Luck returns to a more upbeat song. Laufey said she wanted to “reveal an angrier side of myself,” and I think she did a good job of that in this song. 

She sounds angry, and doesn’t need hard instrumentals to back that up. It sits with me because poor relationships are something I’ve experienced, and it’s nice to have a song to add to my crying playlist.

“A Cautionary Tale” 7/10

This one has my lowest rating. I had to listen to it multiple times in a row to try and identify what exactly gave it this rating. It’s long, and Laufey has amazing vocals. I truly think it boils down to the instrumentals. It seems almost Taylor Swift-esque, which there’s nothing wrong with, but I feel like it doesn’t necessarily fit the album. The vibe doesn’t really sit with me, but it’s still, overall, a very good song.

“Mr. Eclectic” 8/10

I see myself as a very eclectic person when it comes to my music taste, but this song fell just short for me. I enjoy the instrumentals; the return of the jazzy vibe was very good. This is another one of those “feelings are off songs.” 

“Clean Air” 9/10

Someone on X said that Clean Air by Laufey is the “only country song I listen to,” and I couldn’t agree more. I’m not big on the genre, but I have some songs I really enjoy. It’s beautifully done, excellent pacing, and makes for a great duo with “Sabotage.”

“Sabotage” 11/10 (Double Giv Certified)

This is, without a doubt, my favorite song in the entire album. The instrumentals are beautiful, the soft beginning as she sings behind the piano really took me away. “I get in my head so easily” is the most relatable lyric in the album, and Laufey only builds on it through the rest of the three-and-a-half-minute song.

Then, she drops the “cold, bloody, bitter sabotage” with that absolute jumpscare of an instrumental release. However, I feel the one towards the end of the song was even better. The instrumentals at the end were phenomenal, and it helps “Sabotage” linger as the album’s finale. It truly is a perfect end song. 

“Seems Like Old Times” 10/10

After the release of the album, Laufey dropped a bonus track. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this as an ending like I did “Sabotage”. While Sabotage is an amazing ending, I think that this song works just as well, if not better. The song originally came from Guy Lombardo’s orchestra in 1945, which featured Don Rodney on vocals.

Starting off with just Laufey and a piano, it adds a low bass and drums. Later on, it speeds up with instrumentals only that truly give it that jazzy feel. This song feels like it’s pulled from an old-time, 20th-century jazz club, and it’s an excellent ending to the album.

“Overall Grade” 9/10

It has songs I can cry to, blast while driving, and listen to while reading. A do-it-all type of album. Multiple songs received a ten, with Sabotage receiving an 11. The album will definitely be a popular listen for me as fall approaches, and I cannot wait for what Laufey releases in the future.