Olivia Dolphin aims to get ‘Better’ with new album

Life is not meant to be stagnant where every day is the same routine over and over again. Growth is a central part to this plane of existence we’re all on, whether it’s professional, creative, mental or spiritual. Providence indie pop artist Olivia Dolphin has used this fact as a primary focus for her upcoming sophomore album “Better,” which is due out on Sept. 20. In celebration of the release, Dolphin and her band are going to be putting on a show at AS220 located on 115 Empire St. in her home city a week later on Sept. 28. Luke and Dr. Jones will be rounding out the bill with it all starting at 7 p.m.

Dolphin and I had a talk about the making of the album, what makes this release stand out from her debut, the ambitious nature of the release show and what she hopes people take from “Better” when they give it a listen.

Rob Duguay: Ahead of the release of “Better,” you’ve released the singles “Not Perfect,” “Ghost Story” and “Quiet Girls.” What made you want to choose these particular songs as a preview for the upcoming release?

Olivia Dolphin: It’s hard to choose singles when every song is your favorite, but we had such a good time recording them at Big Nice Studio in Lincoln. I wanted to kick off this next project with a bang, so “Not Perfect” felt like the perfect track to come out of the gate with because it’s fun, it’s relatable and I think it sets the tone for the whole album. It has these infectious group vocals that were so fun to record, so I really wanted to tell the story of that song. With “Ghost Story” and “Quiet Girls,” I wanted to showcase more of the dark pop side of the album. “Ghost Story” was also a re-record, so we wanted to show off what we could do without giving away too much. “Quiet Girls” is just a song that’s really near and dear to my heart because there’s a powerful meaning behind it.

I wanted to have these three songs tell a little bit of a story about the ways we can represent and reclaim the narrative around our own experiences. These three songs really do that, so they felt like the perfect trio to release before the album. 

RD: You just mentioned how you made “Better” at Big Nice Studio, so what was the experience like working with Brad Krieger and Emma Newton?

OD: It was so cool, it was such a cool experience and they are just rockstars. I initially reached out to Brad, and I had never made a record in a studio like Big Nice, so I was really curious about taking the project there and what it would look like. Brad recommended that I work with Emma after he listened to some of the demos and Emma, as my producer, came on board and really understood the vision of where I wanted to go. We did five tracks in our traditional band set up with bass, drums, guitar, keyboard and the amplified harmonica, but then I also went in with three tracks that were just me on vocals and piano. That’s when Emma and I collaborated while layering on different ideas, thoughts and instruments, which was a much different experience for me.

To go in with a producer who I had never collaborated with before to see what we could come up with was an incredible experience and opportunity. Also, it was very sentimental with Lincoln being my hometown and a lot of these tracks and lyrics are based on experiences that I had while growing up there, so it felt like a full circle moment.

RD: That’s awesome. In terms of approach and vision, what differentiates “Better” from your full-length debut “Lion-Hearted Blood” that came out in 2022? What makes this upcoming release stand out for you?

OD: There’s been such growth in my songwriting ability and the opportunity I had to work through these songs in a bigger studio allowed me to stretch the creative elements I wanted to include. I also collaborated with a lot more musicians, the guys in the band are really involved and they infused so much style into what we ended up with and the songs kind of take that form. My first album has a very stripped back feel, Jay Ferguson was my producer and it was a stepping stone for me while learning what working with a producer is like. We captured so many cool moments during the making of “Lion-Hearted Blood” and I feel like “Better” signals a growth and a trajectory of me trusting my gut, influences and intuition. While “Lion-Hearted Blood” set the foundation, “Better” is a layer on top of it.

I think there’s an element of why I wanted to explore the concept of “Better” in all the different ways it can take shape and have context. This album is a continuous growth of my own musical journey.

RD: What are your thoughts on the release show for “Better” happening at AS220?

OD: This show is gonna be awesome. It’s a really ambitious show from top to bottom and AS220 is a dream venue to work with, it’s going to be a really cool night and I love the folks there. My friend and guitarist Luke Leheny will be opening up the show with improvised loops. He’s been a frequent collaborator of mine, he’s one of the first people I started sending demos to and he was so encouraging before I even started releasing music. You kind of need a little bit of that, so Luke has been a really important part in my journey as a singer-songwriter.

Dr. Jones is also playing. I’ve looked up to Kate Jones for so long and I actually discovered her through The Mighty Good Boys album that she did some vocals on. I really wanted to show and tie together all these people who have either influenced me or have been impactful on my musical journey. Kate Jones has a connection to The Mighty Good Boys and I have two former members of that band in my band, so I wanted it to feel all interconnected. My set is going to be the album, not top to bottom, but we’re going to try to recreate some of the studio arrangements that we did. One of those songs in particular is called “Once Again” and it’s very orchestral, so we’re going to try to bring some of that to life.

We’re going to be bringing in a harp and I’m going to play the flute. I don’t think people actually realize that I’m a classically trained flute player, so I’m really excited to show that off. We’ve got clarinet, we’ve got saxophone and we’ve got backing vocals, so it’s going to be an ambitious task to recreate not only the live band sound but also these orchestral moments. I think people are going to be surprised and I hope we can pull it off.

RD: It sounds like it’s going to be a great time. After “Better” is officially released, what do you hope to connect with the listener on in terms of messaging and everything else?

OD: I hope whoever listens feels included in this journey of self-growth and vulnerability. The stories I’m telling are my own, but they’re also inspired by the common and collective experience. The experience of being ghosted, the experience of wanting to tell somebody you’re not perfect and you’re trying to get better. There’s a lot of influences in my music that include my mental health journey and the journey of caring for your friends for a really long time and wanting to maintain those relationships. I’m a firm believer that playing music with others, listening to music, talking about music and sharing that experience is modern spellcasting.

It’s the way we make magic today, so I hope that listeners walk away feeling seen, feeling heard and feeling a little bit of that magic that we put into our music.