Last Friday called for some excitement with the release of Laufey’s second album, “Bewitched.” This album is for the hopeless romantics — the irrational, the delirious and the vulnerable in love. It is a work of art, ridden with melancholic melodies. Laufey is an example of an artist who is bringing back genres of the past in order to introduce them to younger generations.
Laufey expressed her passion for this album on her Instagram page while celebrating its release.
“Growing up with a jazz and classical background, I always knew I wanted to introduce the music I so loved to new audiences,” Laufey said. “In Bewitched, I leaned closer to my musical roots than I ever dared to before.”
She doesn’t want these genres to be lost or left behind, so it’s really quite remarkable that she is making an effort to keep them relevant.
The significance that this album exudes could be a love toward a friend, a lover or life. Laufey’s first album, “Everything I Know About Love,” held themes of becoming an adult. Her album, “Bewitched,” is meant to be a contrast to that idea, exploring the magic in the love of being young.
Laufey began the journey of “Bewitched” by initially releasing a few of the tracks as singles. She first released “From The Start,” then “Promise,” “Bewitched” and finally “California and Me”. In order to give this album an honest review, I am going to dive into a few of the tracks that stood out the most to me.
To start, “Lovesick” has to be one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard and one of the best that she has ever written. Her voice holds a fragile, raw emotion that makes this song stand out from the others. It is this emotion that creates a resonating feeling for the fellow listener. The song is about falling in love with someone rather quickly and wanting to build something more. Instead of going for it, fear causes one to falter. It persists and it becomes difficult to shake that feeling away. The overall energy and motivation of this song are what make the emotions within it intensify.
Laufey’s “Promise” reveals a battle of indecision. The song said, “It hurts to be something, it’s worse to be nothing with you.” It also talks about Laufey seeing the person she loved in the places and faces of her life. She promises herself that she’ll let them go, but is finding it more difficult than expected. She persists but knows it will never last. This song is hauntingly honest, a theme often found in Laufey’s songwriting. It’s easy to feel connected to her music because of how vulnerable and descriptive it is. It invites you in to sit with undisclosed emotions and internally feel them. Her lyricism is light like a feather, smoothly bouncing from verse to verse.
The song “Bewitched” is the perfect way to end the album. It’s a song about swiftly falling in love with little things. It’s being unconditionally in love. The outro of this song sparkles with beauty. It tugged at my heartstrings and moved me. After two successful albums, Laufey has done it again.
The album has been a huge success thus far. According to Pop Data, “Bewitched” has broken the all-time record as the biggest debut for a jazz album on Spotify with 5.7 million streams. As of Sept. 9, there had been 145,856,215 streams for this release.
If you are looking for a soothing study aid, a chance to unwind or something to help you center your energy, this album is for you. It’s time for the hopeless romantics to band together. So, make yourself a coffee, find a window to look out of, play this album and tap into your inner main character.
