Soulful British sweetheart Olivia Dean released her second studio album, The Art of Loving, and it is something very special. On The Art of Loving she is a magician – crafting a work that is fresh in its timelessness, and is hugely moving through its humble observations. Sonically flirtatious with the likes of Diana Ross, the quip of Amy Winehouse and the musings of Adele’s 19… this sophomore project reaffirms Olivia as an incredible storyteller, songwriter, and producer. One that inspires hope by unveiling that the small comforts of love (in its many forms) are in fact the overlooked disguise for the infamously evasive grandiose that we all aspire to share in.
Olivia’s angelic vocals don’t fall victim to the hubris of declaring something new or unknown about love, but rather to hold a quiet flame – a spotlight, some sunlight through an open window, and a mirror ball – to love in all places it can be found and felt.
The opening track ‘The Art of Loving (Intro)’ cuts the ribbon on the gallery with buttery harmonies and rich orchestra. It sets the tone for a record that is reflective, secure, and undeniably human.
By offering up the Bell-Hooks-esque encouragement to ‘throw some paint’, Olivia reminds us that that art of loving isn’t just something that is innate the exhibition, observation, or admiration of it – it’s something for anybody to create in its many different forms.
Roping us in with lead singles Olivia distills what connection means by stripping back the politics and overcomplications to embolden us by suggesting the beginnings of love for what they are – simply being ‘Nice To Each Other’. Hand-in-hand, ‘Lady Lady’ rolls in to celebrate seasonal loves, losses and transformations with an endearing and soulful instrumentation. The tracks are open, airy – a cheerful dance around every kitchen, even when you don’t know where the switches are or where they keep the cutlery.
‘Close Up’ chases down rabbit holes of perspective, intimacy and distance. The pursuit is soundtracked by a minor key piano that summons an air of despair which grows heavy as love clouds with doubt. Vibrations come up for air in the chorus, and short bursts of brass interject to mirror Olivia’s exasperation when posing the candid questions of ‘Did I misread completely, every single touch / do you even see me?’
She poses the answers to her examinatory musings by the track’s final verses, but perhaps the true conclusion is reached more so in the following track as Olivia graces any insecurities with the reminder that it’s ‘So Easy (To Fall In Love)’ with her. It’s a dreamboat offer, that captures love through its simplicities, ‘the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life’.
Olivia’s self-assurance continues to shine through despite the aching devastations of ‘Let Alone The One You Love’. The brassy heartbeat of this record calls upon the centering of friendship as the necessary foundation for growth in a romantic relationship. This track poses questions from a notion of maturity that doesn’t seek to be all-knowing, posing lyrical dichotomies to acknowledge the contradicting conclusions we may come to: ‘Like a breeze in the evening, and then you changed / You’re all the same’.
‘Man I Need’ is the invitational partner-in-crime to ‘So Easy (To Fall In Love)’, positing both as two sides of the same coin while weaving in and out of seeking love with all the right potential. In this case, the onus is on the potential partner, as Olivia poses her expectations after offering up what she can bring to the table. It’s a track infused with elation, a romantic blend of pop with jazz and gospel arrangements.
‘Something Inbetween’’s percussion line is a visceral spike in pace for The Art of Loving’s heartbeat. Olivia outpours a stream of consciousness that confesses claustrophobia in intimacy that no longer serves her. It’s a lyrical negotiation that seeks retreat to the grey area, and speaks on the necessary bargaining one faces when a treasured connection grows to be at odds with identity and sense of self. Olivia rejects traditional dynamics with lyrical plays on ‘his and hers’, and explores boundary-setting not as a severance, but as a proposal for preservation. Ultimately, Olivia privileges honesty as the only way through, declaring ‘I’m too young to believe until the end, too scared to cut it short / But this time, if I don’t say it right, I don’t care anymore.’
‘Loud’ is a sorrowful heartbreak, with fluttering resigned strings that accompany Olivia’s pained emotive delivery about the intimacies of never speaking again. The ballad pours from the despondence of being burned and ripped open, marked by a harrowing ascension in vocal intensity throughout the record that paints a live portrait of a woman left in the wake. The central motif of everything being ‘unspoken now / I’m out, the silence is so loud’ honours Olivia’s uptaking of the duty of an artist – to articulate the unspeakable and fashion the potency into art of palpable emotion.
‘Baby Steps’ is a rebirth of finding comfort in independence, where Olivia affirms ‘I’ll be my own pair of safe hands / It’s not the end, it’s the making of.’ The neo-soul sonics are atmospheric and playful, peppered with affirmations that see the record reaching out, arms outstretched, to hug. Olivia reminds us that after falling, it doesn’t mean you end up falling backwards – instead you’re propelled to stumble into the next chapter in a way you may have never dreamt.
‘A couple minutes’ is a glimpse into the lives of past lovers. Instrumentally it houses the intimacy of a slow dance, a waltz back into familiar steps, offering a moment to bathe in what once was. ‘Oh, I’m back on your sofa / Of course I still care / Love’s never wasted when it’s shared.’ It honours how seasons of love can coexist, and how when they swim into each other unexpectedly, everything demands to be felt. Olivia teaches us not only how to sit with it, but how to sway, and ‘let it start to be.’
Olivia closes out The Art of Loving with a timeless enshrinement in love of all forms. It’s near impossible to listen to this track and dedicate it to a singular loved one, because its eyewitness account makes you think of everyone, everywhere. A homely acoustic guitar soundtracks an ode to the entire record. It’s a gorgeous lullaby to walk us home and see us off on our journeys (with love, of course).
The Art Of Loving has a sentimentality so apparent and inherent, which can be entirely attributed to the care and craftsmanship Olivia has mastered on her second body of work. Full of soul, full of heart, this record brings fresh and age-old perspectives to connection in all forms. On this album, ‘I’ve heard it laced in every song,’ ‘I’ve seen it dance with friends around the table,’ and it truly ‘makes me cry to think that I am able / to give it back the way it gives to me.’
You can purchase tickets to see the live exhibition of Olivia’s Art Of Loving in Tāmaki Makaurau, at Spark Arena in October 2026.
