Laufey’s Tough Luck Review

Laufey has grown her name to superstardom, as she now sits with over a billion streams on Spotify. Her take on Jazz Pop has been so original that people know her by her voice now. Now, 2025 has given us a new release of hers. Her two song drop has drawn in a crowd of her listeners to hear the updated self of Laufey. Laufey’s fans are in good hands, because her return with “Tough Luck” is perhaps the ultimate breakup bop we needed to get 2025 steamrolling.

The first time I listened to the tracks, it hooked and lost me by turns, so I decided to give it time before giving it another chance. I believe songs that integrate a sort of crescendo in it are very interesting, and Laufey powerfully did this in “Tough Luck” by holding back an energy that gets loose the time the final chorus comes around. “Tough Luck” is Laufey giving up on waiting for a partner she knows will eventually screw up to do the screwing up before leaving. The bridge is another part of the song that took me to another level, as she picks off her partner’s flaws like she’s reading from a terms and conditions pamphlet. Laufey says, “‘Tough Luck’ is a fiery song about love gone wrong. I wanted to reveal an angrier side of myself—a side that this unfortunate relationship brought out in me.”

Chris Alvarado/Twoworldmedia: Laufey performing live at Thing Fest

Laufey manages to maintain her impossibly pristine, grand-scale singing in a new(ish) environment. Tough Luck welcomes some more commonly practiced pop tropes into her usual jazz stylings. There’s a touch of spoken word, a palpitating percussion rhythm that imitates a rapidly pounding heart, a big bridge à la Olivia Rodrigo where everything unravels into a manic spread of sharp, striking sounds. It all adds up to make a pop song that is both explosive and, crucially, doesn’t sacrifice any of the compositional depth or majesty of Laufey’s music of old.