So, Olivia Dean recently dropped a new album called ‘The Art of Loving’, and honestly? The girl did what had to be done. Everyone’s been talking about it, all the girlies and even the boys too, and for good reason. The songs in the album have been everywhere, making waves all over TikTok and Instagram.
But here’s the funny thing: I actually found this album on my own. No viral sound. No algorithm gently pushing it onto my “For You” page. Nada. Just me, scrolling through the “Discover Weekly” playlist on Spotify one day, and boom, I stumble upon ‘Ok, Love you Bye’, which is not in the album but led me to discover Olivia Dean and then to the album, when it was released. Since then, Olivia Dean has been on replay.
And I don’t know why, but it made it feel more special. Because normally, social media plays a huge role in how I discover music. Like, I’m the kind of person who hears a sound on TikTok , falls in love instantly, and adds it to my Spotify before the video even ends. But this time, it wasn’t like that. I have been off social media for a while now, (since like February or March) so stumbling on this album by myself felt like a small personal victory. It’s like I found something that was mine first.
And let me tell you, I LOVE this album. Like, genuinely love it. I don’t think any artist has gotten this close to my heart in a long time. Olivia Dean’s music just… hits. it’s soulful, it’s intentional, and it makes you feel things.
She said that the album is about her idea of love, all the layers, the ups and downs, the breakups, the softness and the pain, and that’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s like she bottled the feeling of love itself and turned it into music.
Now let’s talk favourites (because ranking them is serious business 😌):
- Let Alone The One You Love - This is my absolute favourite. It feels like a heartbreak wrapped in honesty. You can tell she really thought she’d found her person, the one who’d finally make her feel safe, warm, seen. But somewhere along the way, things shifted. The love that once felt like home suddenly feels like every other disappointment she’s tried to heal from. It’s that moment when you realize the person who was supposed to protect your softness is now the one hurting it. And the part, “You wouldn’t do this to your friends, let alone the one you love” , hits deep. Because truly, if you knew me at all, if you really loved me, how could you?
It’s such a powerful song because it captures the quiet heartbreak, not the dramatic screaming kind, but the one that lingers. The kind that makes you sit with your feelings and think, “You too? I really thought you were different.”
- Something In-Between - This is my second favourite. This song feels like that moment when you’re still in a relationship, physically there, emotionally checked out. You’re not gone, but you’re not really there either. It’s that weird space between holding on and letting go, where everything feels heavy but you can’t figure out why. When Olivia sings, “I’m still here but you’re not getting me… I just feel tightly squeezed and love needs breathing,” it’s such a perfect line. Because love does need space to breathe, and sometimes, staying feels more suffocating than leaving. It’s not about hating the person or even wanting to walk away; it’s about realizing that maybe what you once had isn’t growing anymore. You’re watering the grass, but it just won’t turn green. And that’s such a painfully honest place to be, to admit that maybe you’ve outgrown something that once felt like home. It is the pain of being stuck between wanting to love and wanting to be free.
- Baby Steps - This one feels like the sigh of relief that comes after the heartbreak, like when you’ve cried your eyes out, processed everything, and finally started learning to stand on your own again. It’s the stage where you’re not trying to rush into being “okay”; you’re just figuring it out, one small step at a time. The part where she sings, “Right, left, baby steps, I’ll be my own pair of safe hands,…” carries a lot of meaning to me because that’s what healing really looks like, realizing that the comfort/love you used to get from someone else, you can now learn to give yourself. I love how she describes the small moments: turning on her own lights, putting roses on the shelf, teaching herself that this house, her house, (which you can also mean ‘her heart’), is going to love itself. It’s that quiet independence that comes after losing someone, where you start to love your own company again.
- A Couple Minutes - This song is…wow_._ It’s honestly one of the most beautiful songs on the album, it may even be my favourite at the moment. There’s something so delicate about it, like it’s holding a memory, afraid it might slip away. To me, this song is about the moment you encounter someone from your ‘past’ again, maybe an ex, and for a few minutes, it feels like nothing ever changed. You’re both smiling, catching up, asking little questions that sound casual but holds so much history. “When did you start smoking?”, “Did you end up moving house?” Those simple lines carry so much weight because they come from someone who once knew everything about you. It captures the longing of closure, when you finally accept that something beautiful has ended, but you’re grateful it all happened.
- Man I Need - This is the world’s favorite. It’s bouncy, bold, and full of that confident energy that makes it instantly addictive. While most of the other songs linger in the space of heartbreak, closure, and quiet reflection, “Man I Need” takes a different view. Here, she’s not the one waiting around anymore; she’s the one taking charge; the Little Miss Boss Girl energy in full bloom.
I love how it plays with that push-and-pull between confidence and desire. There’s a freedom in it, a kind of joyful ownership of longing that feels modern and alive. Compared to the softness of songs like “A Couple Minutes” or “Let Alone the One You Love,” this one is light on the heart but heavy on rhythm.
I could go on and on about the rankings but the truth is that each song hits differently, and I genuinely love all of them.
That’s what makes The Art of Loving so special to me. It doesn’t rush you. It doesn’t shout at you. It just sits with you; in your heartbreak, in your healing, in your quiet moments, and in your dancing-through-life phases. It understands the different seasons of love, and it lets you feel every single one of them without judgment.
I’ve been in a phase of thinking about love a lot lately, what it means, how it changes, how it softens you, how it stretches you, how it sometimes hurts, and how it teaches you to come back to yourself. And this album met me right there. Not to explain love to me, but to sit with me in my understanding of the concept of love.
Maybe that’s why it hit me so deeply. Because it reminded me why I love music in the first place, the kind that feels like it knows you, and makes you feel understood.
So if you haven’t listened to The Art of Loving yet, please do. Let it sit with you. Let it grow on you. Let it remind you that loving even when it’s messy, is still a beautiful thing 💛
