Album Review: Laufey - 'Everything I Know About Love'
A masterclass on songwriting and composition, Laufey’s debut album shows that she is here to stay.
A multi-instrumental affair, Laufey showcases her the full extent of her musical ability: from orchestral arrangements that feel truly cinematic in scope to intimate and deeply personal lyrics that read like they’re for your ears alone, Laufey has thrown everything and the kitchen sink at this album. Throughout there are nods to other works and it is clear when listening to the album the number and variety of influences there are on this budding artist. It has jazz, it has modern contemporary structures, it has a classical quality to it all while feeling incredibly fresh and new. As you go from one track to the next, Laufey takes you on a journey to show not only everything she knows about love, but everything she knows about what it means to make music too.
The album starts with Fragile, a single which was released earlier on in the summer. While it starts with an orchestral swell, this track continues mostly with just a bossa-nova guitar and vocals. You are guided by soft and silky smooth vocals and lyrics that are quietly seductive and enticing. As the title of the album would suggest, there is romantic imagery throughout. This track allows for Laufey to lay the foundations of her teachings on love as you are reminded of all the classical tropes; candles, slow music, a room that spins. It is the perfect track to open the album as it reads as an introduction to a new love; everything is sweet and the rose-tinted glow of romance is in the air.
Next comes Beautiful Stranger, an ode to fleeting love. Laufey admitted on an Instagram live that this track is really a love letter to a face she saw while on the underground and while the notion sounds anything but romantic, she showcases how even the most brief of interactions can be filled with love:
‘looked up for a second didn’t want to be rude, I tend to fall in love on the tube.. I wonder if he felt the same way too’
This track indicates that to Laufey, love means many things. While the previous track felt more personal and though it was written with a lover in mind, this track illustrates how love is also a part of the mundane everyday. There is something special about the image of a beautiful face amidst the chaos and humdrum of the rest of the world; it fills you with curiosity and wonder about a relation that could be, a person you could have known. Someone perhaps you could even come to love.
A personal favourite has to be What Love Will Do To You, in which Laufey puts into words the madness and confusion experienced by someone in love. It is markedly different from previous love songs in that it is more reflective and self observant-it deals with the feelings you feel yourself as a lover, the bewilderment and chaos that comes into your life when you open it up to someone else. This track has a more structured feel to it-there are distinct verses and a chorus. This is funny considering the lyrics are all about lack of structure. The juxtaposition of the melodic structure against the story of the song cleverly illustrate the topsy-turvy-upside-down-world-spinning quality of being in love but in a very natural and organic way.
Fans of the artist will recognize Valentine which has featured a lot on TikTok this summer. A special release for, surprise, Valentines Day, this track lovingly looks at some of the awkward bits of a new relationship. The lyrics are wonderfully bright and upbeat and explore the lighter more fun sides of romance.
‘He tells me I’m pretty, I don’t know how to respond. I tell him he’s pretty too, can I say that? Don’t have a clue’
There is a youthfulness to this track which shines through more than the others; Laufey wrote the track when she was 21 and this album comes from a more experienced and mature 23 year old young woman. While the sentiments expressed in the song may no longer be relevant to her life, there is a timeless quality to the track which will transcend her years.
The final track on the album is Night Light, a song which beautifully bookends the journey Laufey has taken us on. In a beautiful contrast to Fragile, the metaphor of light in this song is more somber, confronting the nostalgia and emotions entangled within a childhood bedroom. It reads as a lullaby wherein Laufey is reassured and comforted as she lays bare her vulnerabilities and insecurities. Musically and lyrically mature, this track illustrates the journey we have all been on together over the course of the album. As the song comes to an end, Laufey demonstrates how not only her understanding of love has grown, but on a deeper level she as a person has grown too.
Laufey redefines the genre of jazz with this album. Her references to those who have come before her as well as her nods to contemporary works allow for the songwriting to embody feelings of nostalgia, curiosity and fear for the future, and a sense of peace in not really knowing what comes next. Through her instrumentals and inference to her own songs as familiar riffs and orchestrations circle back, the album flows like its your favourite storybook. While she displays her extensive musical talents throughout with lilting strings, light piano accompaniment and seductive guitar riffs, her vocals shine through. Her voice is truly one in a lifetime and to listening to her feels at times too special and good to be true. You can feel that Laufey has truly poured her whole self into this album and considering it is her debut, it is incredibly exciting to ponder what she could come up with next.
Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson
