The album represents a shift from her earlier focus on jazz preservation toward exploring a more vulnerable and emotionally expressive side. Laufey collaborated with longtime producer Spencer Stewart and Aaron Dessner of the National to develop a sound that balances emotional depth with broader musical influences. Thematically,the album addresses topics such as friendship breakups,apprehension about love,and personal introspection. Laufey described the project as an opportunity to explore more complex and imperfect aspects of herself.
A reissue of the album,titled A Matter of Time:The Final Hour,is scheduled for release on 10 April 2026.
Background and concept
Laufey released her second album,Bewitched (2023),along with its companion expanded version,Bewitched:The Goddess Edition in 2024.[1][2] Both received critical and commercial acclaim and further established her distinctive blend of jazz,classical,and pop sensibilities.[3][4] Following the album,anticipation grew for her next project. On 15 May 2025,she announced her third studio album,A Matter of Time,scheduled for release on 22 August 2025.[5] Earlier that year,Laufey was featured as a performer at the 2025 Time's Women of the Year Gala in Los Angeles,an event honoring women around the world who advocate for equality and justice.[6][7][8] Introduced by two-time Olympian and gold medalist Jordan Chiles,Laufey closed the evening with a performance that celebrated themes of resilience,hope,and courage.[9] In addition,she was honored at the annual Gold House Gala.[10][11] Sharing the stage with both established and rising stars,Laufey received the Billboard Gold Music honor and performed an acoustic set of her single "Silver Lining."[12] Reflecting on the event,she expressed feeling uniquely supported and celebrated by her peers following her Grammy win for Bewitched.[13]
In her previous albums —Everything I Know About Love and Bewitched —Laufey primarily focused on original lovesick ballads influenced by the Great American Songbook,which she refers to as her "bible".[14] Reflecting on this transition while recording her third album in New York,she said,"I used to think that was such a scary thing:that nobody had walked that trail before me. But I now realize that when you're the one determining which steps to take next and which branches to pull to the side,that's when you know you have something good on your hands."[8][14]
"Every new album for me is a blank book of stories to write. [...] I'm constantly thinking about classical and jazz,how to properly preserve them and pay homage. For this album,I just wanted to let my heart wander. [...]
People expect a pretty façade of girly clothes,fantastical stories,and romantic music. This time,I was interested in seeing how I could draw out the most flawed parts of myself and look at them directly in the mirror."[15]
With A Matter of Time,Laufey shifts her focus from preserving the legacy of jazz music—an emphasis in her earlier work—to revealing a more vulnerable,human side of herself.[16] To help realize this shift,she worked with two co-producers:Spencer Stewart,a longtime collaborator,and Aaron Dessner,known for his work with artists exploring emotional depth.[15][17][18][19][20] In an interview with People,she described the album as more extroverted and emotionally raw,exploring themes like friend breakups,fear of love,and self-confrontation.[21]
Composition
A Matter of Time is described by Elle as a concept album about "a young woman unraveling",with Laufey exploring a "messier side" of herself that lies beneath her signature romantic aesthetic. In interviews,Laufey expressed a desire to create music "worthy of singing along to",reflecting her experiences of growing from performing classical music to older audiences to headlining venues where her younger fanbase sings her lyrics back to her.[22] She elaborated that the album features more instrumentation" and feels "louder" and "bigger" to match the scale of her current live performances,describing it as "the most confident" and "most ambitious" album she has made,while also calling it "the most me I've ever been."[23]
Songs
The album's lead single,"Silver Lining",showcases the record's romantic and emotionally direct approach,with the line "When you go to hell,I'll go there with you,too," highlighting Laufey's willingness to embrace emotional intensity.[22] Described as a fiery and emotionally charged track by NME,"Tough Luck" explores the aftermath of a failed relationship.[16] Third single "Lover Girl" is a playful bossa nova song where Laufey depicts herself as a lovestruck girl who struggles with being separated from her boyfriend.[24] "Snow White addresses impossible body standards for women and the pain of never feeling like you are enough.[25]
Release and promotion
Laufey announced her third studio album,A Matter of Time,on May 15,2025,confirming its release for August 22,2025,through Vingolf Recordings and AWAL.[16] The announcement was shared through her official social media platforms,where she revealed the album's cover artwork along with the release date.[26] In a post shared the day prior,she described the record as a personal diary turned into song,exploring the full spectrum of emotions "from the beautiful to the ugly" experienced through life and love over time.[27]
On 23 February 2026,Laufey announced A Matter of Time:The Final Hour,a deluxe edition of the album scheduled for release on 10 April.[28]
Singles
Ahead of the announcement,she released two singles:"Silver Lining" on 3 April 2025,and "Tough Luck" on 15 May 2025. "Silver Lining",accompanied by a music video,was described by Laufey as a love song about setting one's true personality free in the presence of love,where "your inner child comes out and you are emboldened by lust".[29][30][31] The latter had been previewed in live performances prior to its official release,with lyrics reflecting the perspective of someone breaking off a toxic relationship.[32][16] On 25 June 2025,the singer released her third single from the album,"Lover Girl".[33] "Snow White" was released on 7 August 2025,as the fourth single from the album.[34]
"How I Get" was released as a single for the album's deluxe edition on 25 February 2026.[28] Laufey performed the song with the BBC Concert Orchestra on BBC Radio 2.[35]
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, A Matter of Time received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 11 critic scores.[39]
PopMatters described A Matter of Time as "charming," noting that Laufey's appeal comes through even when she downplays it.[45]
A Matter of Time debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart dated 29 August 2025, earning Laufey her first top-ten album in the country after Bewitched peaked at number 13. The album also debuted atop the Official Record Store Chart, making A Matter of Time the most popular album in UK independent record stores in its week of release.[50]
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