"Nice To Each Other" by Olivia Dean // Song Review

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With "Nice To Each Other", Olivia Dean adds a beautiful layer of hope to her sophomore album The Art of Loving. The track captures the in‑between phase of a relationship, the space where things may not be long‑term, but still carry meaning and joy in the moments shared together. Modern love is represented with a light and airy approach, which shines through both in the music itself and in the attitude she conveys in her performance.

She embraces the idea that casual relationships can still be meaningful, regardless of how long they last or how traditional they may seem. "Nice To Each Other" celebrates these fleeting yet impactful connections, balancing emotional depth with lighthearted charm. The vivid imagery, like quick getaways to Italy and the overall chaos of a whirlwind romance like this, centers the song's overall breezy tone. 

In the second verse, Olivia sings, "I don't know where the switches are, or where you keep the cutlery, and I'll probably crash your stupid car and make your life a misery, but we could be nice to each other". Later, she adds with unfiltered honesty, "And wait for you to call it off, 'cause I don't want a boyfriend".

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, whom she has cited as a major influence on this song, Olivia channels a breezy timelessness in her storytelling. In an interview with Paper Magazine, she explained, "I really wanted to write something fun for the tour. Even though a lot of my music is quite emotional, I'm actually a really silly person. It's a song about dating and navigating that space. She continued, "It's about things not feeling so long‑term, but still allowing them to be meaningful. I'm really proud of it."

That sense of playfulness carries into her statement to Rolling Stone as well. "'Nice To Each Other' is a song about the push and pull of exploring your independence in dating. It's about enjoying someone in the present and allowing it to be both light and meaningful. I think this song and video represents a playfulness in me that I'm excited for people to see."

Olivia brought the song to life with a stunning music video that reflects the symbolism of "Nice To Each Other" at its core. As Olivia explained in her interview with Paper Magazine, the initial concept was a black‑and‑white world, a metaphor for how she once viewed relationships, "It's either this or it’s that. We’re together or you’re dead to me." Over time, the idea for the video instead shifted into full color with fluid, free-moving choreography, representing the realization that love exists in the nuanced spaces in between, while also affirming her control over how she experiences it. 


Check out more from my song of the week series here. ☆ Thanks for reading!




Photo Credit: Paper Magazine



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