Laufey is one of the most surprising viral acts of the year to me. Her music is heavily influenced by the exposure to classical and jazz that she had growing up, and it definitely comes across quite strongly in her blend of jazz pop and bedroom pop. And for a jazz adjacent genre, it is surprising that she managed to enter the mainstream consciousness despite jazz staying out of it for a long while.
Now, I'm not gonna pretend I know anything about jazz. It's definitely a flavour of music from an older time, one that I am unfamiliar with the inner workings of, but it sounds nice. Jazz music has never been a turn off for me, but there's always the struggle of not being sure how good it is because I don't know how to appreciate it. Laufey's blend of jazz and pop, however, makes it a lot easier for me, and for the younger generation of today, to consume and enjoy it.
Laufey's professionalism is evident in the quality of both her vocals and the instrumentation throughout the record. Jazz influences can be found left and right, like the acapella harmony starting off Dreamer or the vocal improvisations on From The Start. Of course, it's a blur between jazz, bossa nova and mid-century pop influences, and Adam Neely even asks if it could be compared to musical theatre, but I think this is a point in music whether the barriers of genres no longer matter as much. Laufey's musical prowess is in making music that speaks to people, fluent in the modern post-internet culture and language, and fully expressive in the areas of romance and love.
Debating whether her music is truly jazz or not is not my prerogative here. Jazz influences are there, and that's enough for me. It's a pop-based record full of stellar tunes, one that I feel has a subtle but strong evolution from her previous album, Everything I Know About Love. Other than her viral single, From The Start, that has strong bossa nova influences, there's also songs like Lovesick that see a more orchestral and theatric sound or Letter To My 13 Year Old Self that is deeply rooted in that confessional bedroom pop aesthetic, that show this diversity that she is capable of.
I do appreciate how committed she is to both the genuineness of her music, as well as the prominence of her identity on the internet and in the music world, without compromising either. No part of co-existing in the pop world has discouraged her from continuing to explore her unique blend of sounds, yet she shines at every opportunity to connect with the younger generation, digitally and physically.
Laufey's Bewitched is an album that reflects the kind of unusual phenom she has become in the past few years. Despite the state of both the real world and the musical world, she holds her ground on making music the way she wants to, even collaborating with orchestras, and overall unapologetically infusing her passions and love into her music. It is definitely a refreshing offering in the midst of the oversaturated and undercooked pop scene of today, and for me, a solid welcome change in perspective of an artist that I thought sounded like christmas music at first. Oops.
Rating: 8/10