There’s a point in every artist’s career when evolution becomes not just inevitable, but essential. For Laufey, that moment appears to have arrived with A Matter of Time, her newly announced album set to drop on August 22 via Vingolf Recordings and AWAL. If the single “Tough Luck” is any indication, this record won’t just extend her sonic journey—it’ll challenge it.
Known for weaving jazz and classical influences into soft, romantic tapestries, Laufey has often been hailed as a modern-day torchbearer of vintage elegance. But “Tough Luck” burns with a different kind of fire. It’s stormier, sharper—a love song in ashes rather than in bloom. It’s not just that the arrangement has more bite or that her voice leans into a rawer tone. What makes it compelling is its emotional pivot: anger, disappointment, and yes, vulnerability, but shown through a cracked lens rather than a polished one.
The track feels like a revelation—not because it’s louder or bolder, but because it’s braver. There’s a tension to the song that suggests Laufey isn’t just reflecting on heartache, she’s pulling it apart piece by piece. There’s something thrilling about hearing an artist known for quiet introspection finally raise her voice, even just a little. It’s not a scream, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s the sound of someone choosing truth over prettiness.
In that sense, the forthcoming album title A Matter of Time feels more than apt. It suggests inevitability, a ticking clock on the persona she’s carefully crafted until now. Laufey has spoken about wanting to move beyond the “pretty façade” people expect of her—past the girlish fantasy and into something messier, more flawed, and ultimately more human. That promise alone makes A Matter of Time one of the most intriguing releases on the horizon.
While the lush melancholy of earlier tracks like “Valentine” and “From the Start” offered dreamy escapism, “Tough Luck” grounds us in the wreckage of real emotion. Laufey is still building within the framework of jazz-pop and chamber sounds, but this new track hints at an expansion—not just in sound, but in self-awareness.
Whether the rest of the album follows this more volatile energy or oscillates between light and shadow remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Laufey is not standing still. She’s stepping into deeper waters, and she’s doing it with intention. If “Tough Luck” is just the prologue, then A Matter of Time could be the most honest—and the most exciting—chapter of her career yet.
