A serene and introspective examination of love in its various expressions...
26 · 09 · 2025
This summer, Olivia Dean has taken over our social media feeds. Even with just three singles released prior to her upcoming 12-track second album, ‘The Art of Loving’, she has become a ubiquitous presence, providing the soundtrack for sunlit montages, outfits of the day, and wedding proposals alike. However, the complete project is less focused on viral trends and more on a tranquil, contemplative exploration of love in all its hopeful, chaotic, and bittersweet aspects.
The album begins with the swoon-worthy title track, rich with romantic strings, introducing the notion that it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Dean skillfully blends lo-fi warmth (‘Nice To Each Other’), jazzy dreamscapes (‘Lady Lady’), and Winehouse-inspired soul (‘Close Up’) with more stripped-down ballads like ‘Loud’, which arguably stands as the record’s peak moment. The latter, characterized by its hypnotic guitar and cinematic strings, showcases her most vulnerable and ambitious performance on the album so far.
Nonetheless, despite its lyrical elegance and polished production, ‘The Art of Loving’ can at times come off as overly cautious. Several tracks have a similar pace and arrangement, causing them to blend into one another. While ‘Baby Steps’ is enjoyable, it doesn’t contribute much new, and ‘Something Inbetween’ hints at a bold tempo change without fully committing to it. Consequently, the album risks becoming background music, occasionally leaning towards monotony.
That being said, Dean’s voice remains the undeniable highlight: clear, versatile, and imbued with warmth. When she embraces vocal layering and harmony, the album truly comes alive. Although the production is minimal, it provides the clarity necessary for her lyrics to resonate with purpose.
Olivia Dean has delivered precisely the album her audience longed for – and sometimes, that in itself embodies the art of loving.
8/10
Words: Aimee Phillips
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Olivia Dean has taken over our feeds this summer. With only three singles released prior to it, her 12-track second album, 'The Art of Loving', has