“A Matter of Time” vinyl and bonus track The Xavierite
Icelandic musician, Laufey, has ignited a resurgence of jazz music with her latest release: “A Matter of Time.” Released in August of 2025, “A Matter of Time” is a refreshing new take on a genre of music many thought was dying out.
As someone who has recently begun getting into jazz music, this album is an amazing modern take on what jazz can be. I loved it.
Instead of focusing on improvisation and complex instrumentation like other jazz musicians, Laufey focuses on relatable lyrics and orchestral arrangements to tell her stories.
Featuring 14 standard tracks and one bonus track, the album takes the listener through a journey of love. Focusing on both self-love and the love of others, “A Matter of Time” is a very real reflection of the struggles many face when trying to truly love themselves and others.
Aside from the meaning of the tracks, the music itself is phenomenal. Combining her signature style of jazz pop fusion with elements of folk, R&B, and even bossa nova, Laufey ensures there’s something for everyone in this album.
Every song features a wide variety of stringed instruments often accompanied by a drum track, piano melody, or both. The instruments mixed with her rich, sultry voice provide an experience not offered by many other mainstream artists.
While I love every song on the album, the two standout tracks are “Snow White” and “Sabotage.”
Starting with mellow strums of a guitar, “Snow White” immediately sets a sorrowful tone. As Laufey’s voice comes in, it accentuates these emotions through her deep tone and the topic of vulnerability.
Speaking on problems and ridicules many young women face, her voice starts with that same sorrowful tone of the opening guitar. As time goes on, her voice begins to take a more hopeful tone, signifying her fight back against sexist beauty notions.
The song culminates in a harmonization of Laufey’s voice and countless stringed instruments, and the raw emotion is clearly seen. No matter how many times I listen, I experience a sense of anguish.
By contrast, “Sabotage” catches the listener completely off guard. The track first comes in with calming piano, violin, and cello. Soon the stringed instruments rise to a shrieking crescendo and eventually halt as the piano and Laufey herself continue.
What sets this piece apart is the instrumentation. While every piece features those aforementioned instruments, this one in particular uses them to create a sense of foreboding.
Around the one minute mark, the line “for cold, bloody, bitter sabotage” signifies this worrisome feeling. As she finishes saying “sabotage” the stringed instruments re-appear with a shrieking noise.
Reaching the end of the song, Laufey begins growing louder as the instruments follow in suit. Repeating those same words, the stringed instruments now come in slowly from the back before completely taking over the song and continuing with their wailing shrieks until the track, and with it, the album, suddenly ends.
While these two tracks were the standouts for me, every song has its own strengths. Together, they culminated into one of my favorite albums of 2025.
“A Matter of Time” is streaming on Spotify and all other platforms.