Bewitched (Laufey album)

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Bewitched
Laufey lying on her front wearing a silver crown and dress in front of a wooden wall
Studio album by
Laufey
Released8 September 2023 (2023-09-08)
GenreJazz pop[1]
Length48:19 (original version)
61:17 (The Goddess Edition)
LabelAWAL
Producer
Laufey chronology
A Night at the Symphony
(2023) 		Bewitched
(2023)
Alternative cover
The Goddess Edition cover
Singles from Bewitched
  1. "From the Start"
    Released: 11 May 2023
  2. "Promise"
    Released: 14 June 2023
  3. "Bewitched"
    Released: 26 July 2023
  4. "California and Me"
    Released: 24 August 2023
Singles from Bewitched: the Goddess Edition
  1. "Goddess"
    Released: 6 March 2024

Bewitched is the second studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, released on 8 September 2023 through AWAL. Described by Laufey as "a love album, whether it be a love towards a friend or a lover or life", Bewitched deals with a variety of romantic themes in its songs.

Musically, Bewitched consists of jazz pop ballads, predominantly written by Laufey and collaborator Spencer Stewart, and produced by the duo along with Philharmonia Orchestra and Dan Wilson. The album was met with acclaim from music critics, who complimented the songs for their modern spin on jazz and nostalgic quality at the same time; Laufey's technical skills were also a subject of praise in the reviews. It won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.[2]

Four singles preceded the album: "From the Start", "Promise",[3] "Bewitched" and "California and Me",[4] the first of which marked Laufey's first song to chart on record charts. Bewitched peaked at number two on the Icelandic albums chart and was Laufey's first album to chart in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additionally, the album topped the Australian Jazz & Blues Albums chart. To support the album, Laufey will embark on a European concert tour in 2024.[4]

On 6 March 2024, Laufey announced the reissue of the album Bewitched: The Goddess Edition, which was preceded by the single "Goddess".[5]

Background[edit]

With the announcement, Laufey described Bewitched as "a love album, whether it be a love towards a friend or a lover or life". She reflected on her first album's theme of becoming an adult and contrasted it with having since "experienced a little bit more of that, and [...] writing about the magic in the love of being young".[6]

Shortly prior to releasing the album, Laufey made the sheet music available to fans.[7]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY[9]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[1]
NME[10]
Pitchfork7.0/10[11]
Uncut8/10[12]

Bewitched received a score of 83 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8] Uncut felt that "if these [tracks] feel like throwbacks, they're no more so than Norah Jones' best work, and there's nonetheless something timeless about the breezy 'While You Were Sleeping' and, with its chugging guitars, 'Lovesick'".[12] In a five-star review, Hannah Mylrea of NME described Bewitched as "confident and musically ambitious, melding jazz, pop and modern classical composition", throughout which "Laufey's impressive technical ability shines".[10]

James Hickey of DIY wrote that Laufey's "crystalline voice and effortless charisma make this album into a gorgeous display of a unique talent", which he also described as "stuffed full of immaculate jazz ballads, shot through with luscious strings and swooning stories of hopeless love".[9] The Line of Best Fit's Matthew Kim opined that Laufey "improves on her already effective formula in just about every department", and while she does not "reinvent the wheel when it comes to the antique jazz-pop sound that she's already mastered", "she certainly diversifies her palette".[1] Alex Ramos of Pitchfork found it to be "bolder and more intentional" than Everything I Know About Love as "here, Laufey doesn't simply let jazz inform the work; she uses it as a vehicle to enact fantasies and ambitions, lending her contemporary musings a misty, out-of-time quality".[11]

Year-end lists[edit]

Critics' rankings for Bewitched
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Billboard Best Albums of 2023 46
[13]
NME The Best Albums of 2023 33
[14]
Uproxx The Best Albums of 2023 —
[15]
Variety The Best Albums of 2023 9
[16]
Vogue The Best Albums of 2023 —
[17]

Commercial performance[edit]

Bewitched debuted at number 23 on the US Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Jazz Albums charts with 23,000 album-equivalent units.[18]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written and produced by Laufey and Spencer Stewart, except where noted.

Bewitched track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Dreamer"  3:30
2."Second Best"  3:24
3."Haunted"  3:20
4."Must Be Love"
 3:04
5."While You Were Sleeping"  2:57
6."Lovesick"  3:45
7."California and Me" (featuring Philharmonia Orchestra)Laufey
  • Laufey
  • Philharmonia Orchestra
3:36
8."Nocturne" (Interlude)LaufeyLaufey2:24
9."Promise"
  • Laufey
  • Wilson
3:54
10."From the Start"  2:49
11."Misty"
 3:29
12."Serendipity"  3:39
13."Letter to My 13 Year Old Self"Laufey 4:22
14."Bewitched" 
  • Laufey
  • Stewart
  • Philharmonia Orchestra
4:06
Total length:48:19
Bewitched: The Goddess Edition – bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Bored" 3:33
16."Trouble"
  • Laufey
  • Stewart
  • Wilson
2:51
17."It Could Happen to You"
2:07
18."Goddess"Laufey4:27
Total length:61:17

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Bewitched
Chart (2023–2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 6
Australian Jazz & Blues Albums (ARIA)[20] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 181
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[22] 38
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 15
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 45
Icelandic Albums (Plötutíðindi)[25] 2
Irish Albums (IRMA)[26] 67
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[27] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28] 13
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[30] 13
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[31] 2
US Billboard 200[32] 23
US Independent Albums[33] 5
US Jazz Albums[34] 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Kim, Matthew (5 September 2023). "Laufey: Bewitched Review – refinement with purpose". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. ^ Minsker, Evan (10 November 2023). "Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (15 June 2023). "Laufey announces her second album Bewitched". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b Young, David James (1 September 2023). "Laufey announces 2024 Bewitched UK and European tour". NME. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  5. ^ Jónsdóttir, Laufey (6 March 2024). "Bewitched: The Goddess Edition with 3 new songs will be yours on April 26th". Twitter. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  6. ^ Richards, Will (27 July 2023). "Laufey announces new album Bewitched with title track". NME. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  7. ^ Bhakdi, Lara (28 September 2023). "The musical witching hour". Trinity News. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Bewitched by Laufey Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b Hickey, James (7 September 2023). "Laufey – Bewitched review". DIY. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b Mylrea, Hannah (7 September 2023). "Laufey – Bewitched review: spellbinding modern jazz with a pop twist". NME. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  11. ^ a b Ramos, Alex (12 September 2023). "Laufey: Bewitched Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Laufey – Bewitched". Uncut. October 2023. p. 29.
  13. ^ Pascual, Danielle (6 December 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  14. ^ "The best albums of 2023". NME. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  15. ^ "These Are The Best Albums Of 2023". UPROXX. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  16. ^ Horowitz, Chris Willman,Jem Aswad,Thania Garcia,Steven J.; Willman, Chris; Aswad, Jem; Garcia, Thania; Horowitz, Steven J. (11 December 2023). "The Best Albums of 2023". Variety. Retrieved 18 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "The Best Albums of 2023". Vogue. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  18. ^ Caulfield, Keith (20 September 2023). "Laufey Logs Biggest Jazz Debut in Nearly Two Years With 'Bewitched'". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  19. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  20. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Jazz & Blues Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Laufey – Bewitched" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Laufey – Bewitched" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Laufey – Bewitched" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 2 – 2024" [The Music – Albums – Week 2 – 2024] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 3 May 2024". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Irish Independent Albums Chart". Irish Recorded Music Association. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  28. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  32. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Independent Albums: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  34. ^ "Jazz Albums: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
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