Olivia Dean released her sophomore album, The Art of Loving, with the 12 songs covering the themes of love and relationships. The dynamics of a romantic couple are littered in the songs of the album. A beautiful record, she closes the album by reflecting on love as a concept, it is reminiscent of the gentleness of love and the silent wars in matters of the heart.
The album begins with the soft melodic intro to “The Art of Loving”, which sets the tone of the album with a comforting, familiar neo-soul sound that incorporates jazz. Her single rollout began in May 2025 with “Nice to Each Other”, an upbeat song exploring the push and pull of a relationship that is burgeoning. Viral lyrics like “I don’t want a boyfriend” filled the TikTok feeds – an introduction to the classic battles of romantic love.
The second single of the album, “Lady Lady”, was released in July 2025 and is a slightly slower song that reflects on dealing with change. It’s ode to the universe reflecting on her self-perception as a woman. Moving on, “Close Up” feels eerie, reflecting the lyrics of a distant lover. The feeling of not being appreciated by someone you want to be close to. It’s one of my favourites on the record because of how eerie the melody feels with all the instruments layered on the track. Dean’s care for production does not go unnoticed in the art piece that is this album.
“So Easy (To Fall in Love)”, is about convincing someone that you’re worth the risk. She lists all the qualities about herself that make her easy to love. It’s that fun stage of feeling crushes where you’re balancing your desires with a new interest. I personally love the hook of the song. “Let Alone The One You Love” is a reflective song that discusses how she misses her past love. That feeling of being overly consumed with one person. It’s that frustration laced with the retro sound of the song that seems like a person venting moved by the soft hums of loss.
“Man I Need” is bright, and I love how it echoes through my mind with the lyrics. The layering in the song captures that feeling of contemplation when you’re in love but your partner isn’t communicating enough with you. It feels like she is protesting with hope with each beat. The song “Something Inbetween” cuts the tension in the track list. Acknowledging the frustration through a self-love angle that highlights the desire of being unsure.
The guitar strums in “Loud” echo the completion of a love that doesn’t give back. Airing her perspective of being played like a game, ‘turn me on just to turn me down’. As there is no friendship, the expectation of a love beyond being lovers remains sombre through each string. “Baby Steps” shows the completion of the relationship, reassuring herself that ‘this house is going to love itself’. The autonomy of being independent through each baby step.
The strings in “A Couple Minutes” are reminiscent of old love songs that capture the neo-soul genre well. A song that captures the essence of missing an old love. ‘Love is never wasted when it’s shared.’ The final song on the album, “I’ve Seen It”, is reminiscent of the 80s soundtrack sequence with the birds we can hear at the beginning of the track. The song ends with the lyrics ‘I know it’s somewhere in my chest/ I guess it’s been inside me all along”, capturing the feeling of love and the art of loving superbly.
I enjoyed this album, and I think it shows the growth in Olivia’s sound sonically. It feels like she is burgeoning as an artist and I hope to see some of these tracks in edits, shows, or films. Recently featured in the fourth instalment of the infamous Bridget Jones franchise, Dean is already getting her sound out in Hollywood, and the glitz and glamour of love is what makes this record shine.
7/10
