“Bewitched” is a breath of fresh air compared to some of the more recent albums. Laufey Lín Jónsdottír, better known by her stage name Laufey, is single handedly breathing life back into the genre of jazz.
A mix of melancholy heartache and expert lyrics, the 24-year-old Icelandic singer/songwriter published her second album on Sept. 8. The album consists of 14 beautifully curated songs, each one tells the story of a lovesick protagonist.
Laufey first came into the spotlight in 2015 where she participated in “The Voice Iceland.” She reached the semifinals of the show before being voted out. It was only in 2020 where Laufey’s career began to take off.
Her first single, published in 2020, “Street by Street” charted number 1 on Icelandic radio. From there she released her first EP (extended play), “Typical of Me.” The EP was met with praise as her rendition of “I Wish You Love” by French female singer Lucienne Boyer was heavily praised and used in social media.
Laufey’s most famous single “Let You Break My Heart Again ” was released in 2021. The single did something that most other artists in this day and age would never think to do. The song was created with an entire orchestra accompaniment. The Philharmonia Orchestra made a reappearance in Bewitched, “California and Me.”
One of the more popular songs on the album, “California and Me,” highlights a broken relationship – one the protagonist has felt strongly about. She tells the story of her partner leaving under the ruse that they needed space, but she knows better than to believe it. She ends the song with a heartbreaking lyric: “Left me and the ocean for your old flame/Holding back my tears, I couldn’t make you stay/…California and me” The Philharmonia Orchestra makes the song 10x more melancholic. The woodwinds and string instruments really tell a story of pain and longing.
Laufey’s songs truly highlight the pain of falling in love – the nitty-gritty, the ugly, the horrible parts of being vulnerable with another person. She pours her soul out in every song in “Bewitched.” I can confidently say that this was one of the better albums that was released this year.
