Image Credit: EMI

“There is hardly any activity, any enterprise, which is started with such tremendous hopes and expectations, and yet, which fails so regularly, as love,” — Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Miss Olivia Lauryn Dean… Bravo.

Sharing its name with Fromm’s 1956 book The Art of Loving, it’s clear Dean has done her homework, demonstrating Fromm’s famed concepts of love but also weaving in the similar philosophy of bell hooks. The result is a soulful map of introspection, tracing the twists, turns, stop signs, and potholes that line the road of human connection. From strangers to friends, lovers, and all the complex spaces in between, Dean embarks on a powerful journey of self-expression.

The pre-release of singles ‘Nice to Each Other’, ‘Lady Lady’, and ‘Man I Need’ set expectations high and thankfully delivered, with the latter reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart the same week its parent album debuted at number one on the UK’s Official Albums Chart. Both have since inevitably been overtaken by Taylor Swift’s latest release.

Image Credit: Olivia Dean via Instagram

The first new material we encounter is ‘Close Up’, a slow piano ballad and fitting follow-up to the self-assuredness of ‘Nice to Each Other’ and the embrace of change in ‘Lady Lady’. Dean’s rose-tinted glasses are shattered as she sings, “Now I’m all close up, it don’t look like love.” It’s a relatable frustration for those familiar with the uncertainty of modern dating, a generation with more ways to connect physically and digitally, yet one that often feels emotionally distant. Despite the song’s sombre tone, Dean leaves space for hope, acknowledging how the absence of love has made room for self-discovery, a theme she explores further in ‘So Easy (To Fall In Love)’.

The fifth track is perfectly complemented by its music video, where we’re bombarded with classically romantic motifs: sending flowers, opening car doors, buying perfume, and dancing in the street. It’s a beautiful ode to the art of loving others but also loving yourself. Dean oozes an effortless confidence as she drifts through each frame – most strikingly, past her own Burberry billboard vocalizing, “Me (Me, Me).” The playfulness of her lyricism consistently shines through as she calls herself “the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life.” She certainly makes it look so easy.

The album builds to a grand crescendo with its next tracks: ‘Let Alone The One You Love’, ‘Something Inbetween’, and ‘Loud’. Each serves as an act of defiance against suppression and constraint, reaching a climax before collapsing into a loud, overwhelming stillness. The quiet after the storm. ‘Loud’ stands out as a defining composition for Olivia Dean. Stripped of backing vocals, she delivers a performance of raw, vulnerable desperation. The string accompaniment adds a Bond-esque quality, and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine Dean contributing to the next 007 soundtrack.

‘Baby Steps’ is full of classic Deanisms – her signature echoes, repetitions, and a soulful groove you can’t help but move to. Throughout the song, she paints domestic scenes that capture the small, intimate moments once shared with a partner, and the reality of facing them alone after a breakup. But as Dean reminds us, “It’s not the end, it’s the making of.” It’s a refreshing take on the aftermath of a relationship – one that shifts the focus from the person left behind toward healing the relationship we have with ourselves.

The penultimate track, ‘A Couple Minutes’, doesn’t stray far from these themes, once again offering insight into love that lingers beyond a breakup. It sheds light on love’s multifaceted nature – no longer romantic but no less real. As Dean’s lessons draw to a close, it feels essential to reflect on the words that inspired her:

“Many of us seek community solely to escape the fear of being alone. Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”
– bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions

Finally, we approach a song with all the answers on love, and marvelously, Dean never utters the word once. ‘I’ve Seen It’ proves to be the perfect bookend to a flawless album, its simplicity allowing the words to resonate more deeply. When Dean sings, “I’ve heard it laced in every song, still the words all come out wrong, it doesn’t always answer when you call,” we’re pulled into a space of nostalgia and familiarity – a feeling made more poignant by her interpolation of ‘Just the Two of Us’. In a landscape often saturated with emotional grandeur, Dean’s voice cuts through with inimitable authenticity.