Upon its release, The Art of Loving received acclaim from music critics, many of whom described it as an evolution for Dean and praised her performance. Commercially, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and reached the national rankings of 20 other territories, including top position in Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, and New Zealand. Additionally, it was certified gold in two countries.
Background and promotion
In an interview with Paper, Dean shared that she had been "working really hard" on the album, expressing a desire to "sing for everybody" and be welcomed with "open arms" and "love", a gesture she described as a "vulnerable" act.[2] The result has been described as a "tender, intentional deep dive" into different forms of love, including "romantic, platonic, self, and everything in between".[3] The album has also been called "her most intimate work yet", showcasing the qualities her audience has come to admire.[4]
Dean announced The Art of Loving on 2 June 2025.[5] To accompany the news, she released the lead single, "Nice to Each Other", on 30 May. Dean described the track as a "push and pull of exploring your independence in dating" and emphasised its "playfulness".[6] The album's release is preceded by several live performances, including joint appearances with Sabrina Carpenter and Sam Fender, as well as her own headlining North American tour.[7]
The Art of Loving received widespread critical acclaim upon release. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Art of Loving received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[9] The review aggregator AnyDecentMusic? assigned the album a weighted average score of 8.0 out of 10 from 13 critic scores.[8]
Writing for Rolling Stone, Larisha Paul praised the record as a significant artistic step forward, highlighting "Man I Need" and "Let Alone the One You Love" as career-defining moments and comparing Dean’s balladry to Amy Winehouse, Adele, and early Beyoncé.[13] Helen Brown of The Independent called it both "deep and breezy" and commended Dean's ability to "de-complicate and de-escalate romance with playful generosity."[11] Similarly positive, Rhea Hagiwara of The Skinny saw it as "a continuation and a step forward" from her debut Messy, with a new level of "maturity and authenticity".[14]
In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis credited Dean for shedding the "neo-soul clichés" of her debut in favor of 1970s Los Angeles-inspired pop and soft rock, while praising her understated vocals and diaristic lyrics.[1]Clash described it as "a quiet, meditative exploration of love," while noting occasional repetitiveness in its pacing. The review nonetheless praised Dean's voice as the centerpiece of the record and "crystalline, versatile and laced with warmth".[10]
Some criticism was more reserved. Pitchfork's Walden Green characterized Dean's voice as warm and engaging but suggested that parts of the record leaned too heavily on retro pastiche, particularly on "Close Up" and "Baby Steps".[12]
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, The Art of Loving debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 52,366 album-equivalent units, marking Dean's first number-one album and the highest debut for a British female artist on the albums chart since Adele's 30 (2021).[15][16] "Man I Need", the album's third single, also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart the same week as The Art of Loving's debut, making Dean the first British solo female artist to top the albums and singles charts simultaneously since Adele in 2021 with 30 and "Easy on Me". On 24 October 2025, four weeks after the album's release, The Art of Loving was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of 100,000 album-equivalent units.[17]
In the United States, The Art of Loving debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart with 43,000 album-equivalent units, of which 11,000 were pure album sales.[18] In its second week, the album rose to number seven, moving 35,000 units.[19] In its third week, the album rose again to a new peak position of number six with 36,000 units.[20]The Art of Loving is only the third album of 2025 to debut in the top ten of the Billboard 200 and reach a new peak in a subsequent week, following Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack.
The album was also a success in numerous other international countries, debuting at number one in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Scotland, within the top five in Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Canada, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland, and within the top ten in Germany, Iceland, Norway, and Poland.
↑ Wired Strings consists of violinists Charis Jenson, Hayley Pomfrett, Jenny Sacha, Kerenza Peacock, Michael Trainor, Patrick Kiernan, Sarah Sexton, and Zahra Benyounes; violists Emma Owens and Meghan Cassidy; and cellists Rosie Danvers and Bryony James.
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