More about: Laufey

Since she released her debut single ‘Street by Steet’ back in 2020, Laufey has been fine-tuning her redefinition of jazz for a Gen-Z audience. Influenced by the likes of Chet Baker and Ella Fitzgerald, Laufey’s deep alto voice, rich harmonies and heartfelt lyrics make her debut album, Everything I Know About Love, a standout insight into her unique musical style. 

With several of the album’s tracks already released this year, previous fan favourites are perfectly slotted into a well-structured debut. Everything I Know About Love starts with ‘Fragile’, which came out in early June. Bossa nova-style guitar welcomes us to the album’s warm embrace. 

Right from the offset, Laufey explores her vulnerabilities as the timeless charm of her voice is introduced to new listeners. ‘Fragile’ acts as an interesting contrast to one of the album’s final tracks, ‘Night Light’. Both songs use light imagery, with ‘Fragile’ referencing the “soft candle glow” whilst ‘Night Light’ confronts the nostalgia of the “night light” commonly found in any childhood bedroom. As the album’s protagonist, Laufey goes on a journey of musical self-discovery whilst delving into her relationships with others.  

‘Night Light’ acts as a reassuring lullaby, ending the album with ebbing strings that juxtapose more upbeat tracks like ‘Falling Behind', ‘Dance With You Tonight’ and ‘Everything I Know About Love’. The latter, as the title suggests, encompasses the album’s principal themes. It would be too simplistic to describe this as a ‘coming-of-age’ album. Instead, Laufey lays her vulnerabilities and insecurities on the table, but without just making her debut a superficial pity party about failed romances. Embodying feelings of nostalgia, fear for the future, as well as a sense of peace with the unknown, each track flows perfectly, all the while highlighting the artist’s incredible musical talent. 

Everything I Know About Love seamlessly transitions between musical styles, exemplifying how Laufey has not only made jazz and classical music more accessible for a Gen-Z audience, but how she has also redefined the genre itself. Lilting piano parts mirror Nat King Cole’s music and wouldn’t sound unusual playing from either a 1950s radio or an iPhone. More upbeat, pop-inspired songs like ‘Above The Chinese Restaurant’, seemingly reminiscent of artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzy McAlpine, contrast classically influenced tracks like ‘Hi’. 

Solely using voice and guitar, ‘Hi’ dreamily demonstrates the relatable vulnerability Laufey manages to capture across her music. With melodic lines and soulful vocals that sound like they could feature in a black and white Hollywood film, Laufey drops subtle references to her idols throughout her lyrics. Mentioning “Louis on the radio” in ‘Hi’ and dedicating an entire song to Chet Baker in ‘Just Like Chet’, Laufey balances this connection to her musical education with lyrics that encompass the pressures of relationships and romance in the 21st-century. The piano musings of ‘What Love Will Do To You’ and ‘I’ve Never Been In Love Before’ exemplify this, with a timeless old-school jazz feel blending with Laufey’s crystal clear vocal range. 

There’s a sublime sense of musical and emotional purity that infuses Laufey’s most recent music. Jumping from the swelling orchestral arrangement of ‘Dear Soulmate’ to the whimsical scatting of ‘What Love Will Do To You’, if it weren’t for the artist’s evident musical maturity the album’s frequent shifts in tone could potentially be jarring at times. However, Laufey ensures that, above all, her voice shines throughout, gliding above beautifully light string or piano accompaniments. 

To quote ‘What Love Will Do To You’, listening to Everything I Know About Love provides the soothing comfort of being “drunk on jazz and wine”. Laufey is at her most vulnerable and confident throughout this impressive debut. It’s difficult to see how her nostalgic lyrics, instrumentation and voice could ever go out of style.  

Everything I Know About Love arrives 26 August via AWAL Recordings.

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More about: Laufey