Everyone’s new favourite artist, Olivia Dean, recently dropped her sophomore album: The Art of Loving. The 12-track record expertly blends heart-warming with just the right amount of gut-wrenching. It leaves listeners impressed, but eagerly wishing there was a 13th song on the track list.
I was in Leeds city centre at the weekend, and every shop, every restaurant I went in played at least one of her songs. I can’t remember the last time we’ve seen this kind of sparkle around an artist – she’s everywhere.
Dean is having her most successful year to date, selling out an arena tour including 6 shows at the O2 (it was a nightmare trying to get tickets, but I succeeded). The album had the biggest opening week for a British female artist since Adele in 2021. The release was highly anticipated, and she exceeded plenty of expectations. It’s a sweet blend of neo-soul, pop and R&B that makes listeners excited to see what she creates next.
The Art of Loving plays when I shower, whilst I do my makeup, and is the soundtrack to my housemates and I cooking dinner. It’s the type of album that makes cleaning your house fun.
The Art of Loving (Intro)
The 40 second prelude invites us into the album. The twinkling harp and chirping birds paired with her rich tone lays the table for the songs to come.
Nice To Each Other
Feel-good song of the summer. We’ve all heard it – and we’re still not bored of it. Usually, I’ll skip the singles when I’m listening to a new album for the first time, but I let this one play right through.
Olivia begins the album playfully. It’s light-hearted, breezy, and feels like that spring in your step when you’re simply enjoying each other at the start of a relationship. It condenses the trivia of labels, alongside the excitement of new beginnings into three vibrant minutes.
Lady Lady
Lady Lady could bloom flowers. With themes of adapting to change and learning to trust in the universe’s plan – it’s chic, airy, and relatable.
“She’s always changing me without a word / I was just, I was just getting used to her.” The track is gentle, exploring how life will always move on, even when you’re not ready for it.
Close Up
Close Up is a slightly feisty expression of the insecurity of not meeting a partner’s expectations, over an R&B beat. Olivia alludes to Alice in Wonderland (“Chasing rabbits don’t usually end with happy ever after”) to emphasise how some things just don’t have a fairytale ending.
The drums in the second verse crawl under your skin, while Olivia questions the intentions of a lover. After then turning to question herself throughout the chorus, she comes to the resolution that “Now I’m all close up / It don’t look like love.”
So Easy (To Fall In Love)
Dean effortlessly dances through the track, reminding listeners that love can be fun, not just the heartbreak you’re used to hearing. The track is charming and catchy, championing self-love and acceptance.
On an album that travels through a timeline from the start of a relationship to breaking up and eventually closure, it’s nice to see that self-love wasn’t left off the list.
Let Alone The One You Love
Throwing us in the deep end to the emotional half of the record, Olivia leans a little bit towards Winehouse in this one. Even at her most heartbroken, she somehow manages to capture such warmth inside her music.
Her vocals are rich and glossy, the lyrics taking you on a journey through a relationship you thought would work out – but failed. Olivia says this one breaks her heart, and it’s no wonder why. “Who could do that to a friend, let alone the one you love?”, encapsulates that sickening feeling you get in your gut when someone just isn’t who you thought they were. This is definitely some of her best work.
Man I Need
At the time of writing, ‘Man I Need’ is number 10 globally on Spotify. It’s got a habit of hooking into your head and making itself at home in there.
It’s refreshing to hear a pop song that doesn’t feel like it was made entirely with the purpose of becoming a viral TikTok sound. While it might eventually become overplayed, so far it lacks that annoyance that usually emerges when you’re constantly hearing the same songs in the Top 40. I can’t ever imagine getting bored of it playing on Capital Radio in my mum’s car every morning.
Something Inbetween
Something Inbetween is relaxed and upbeat, but I do tend to skip it. It’s placed in the middle of two of the greatest tracks on the album, so it’s easy to understand why it doesn’t shine quite as bright as the others.
It outlines the complexity of relationships, wishing there could be something in between all-or-nothing.
Loud
Bond-esque and exasperated. My favourite song on the album. Raw and crushing, Loud is a vocal masterclass. It almost makes me wish I was going through a breakup so that I could feel the song in my veins a little more.
The song builds so beautifully. Olivia said that there was originally one take recorded, and then she never sung it again as it was too intense. Dean allows herself to be vulnerable over powerful strings, documenting the downfall of a relationship.
I can’t understand how this is the second least streamed on the whole record. People really don’t know what they’re missing.
Baby Steps
Baby Steps is motivating, helping you remember it’s alright if you can’t bounce right back. Sometimes you should be tentative, taking baby steps to rebuild yourself. This song lets you know that it’s okay to be gentle with yourself.
A Couple Minutes
The penultimate track is ambient and golden. Dean is reflective, allowing herself to reminisce before accepting closure. The assertion that “Love’s never wasted when it’s shared” is reassuring, beginning a pleasant close to the album.
On first listen, I didn’t think this one would be my favourite. This was until I heard it playing in Leeds Green Room on a rainy Sunday evening. The disco balls spun while A Couple Minutes played, and the song fit the occasion perfectly.
I think it could cure the worst of Sunday scaries.
I’ve Seen It
The obvious choice to close the record, I’ve Seen It signs off perfectly. It ties up the ends of the album, leaving no loose strings.
“The more you look, the more you find / It’s all around you, all the time” reminds me of Love Actually. Dean catalogues love in a variety of forms, making you stop for a second to look for it.
The song twinkles and catches the light in the right places. It’s optimistic, and reminds you that love, actually, is all around.
The Art Of Loving is a glittering amalgamation of songs that represent love in all of its hues. I don’t think I’ve ever learnt every lyric to an album faster.
Editor: Macy Hughes