Olivia Dolphin Releases Newest EP ‘All the Time We Spent’

Photo courtesy of Olivia Dolphin.

You just released your EP ‘All the Time We Spent.’ Can you walk me through that process?

I wrote a lot of the songs on this EP during or right after we recorded our first studio album Better. There’s nothing like taking advantage of when all that creativity energy is flowing. Quite opposite to all the big-feeling songs of Better, I lyrically focused on all the small moments that build up in relationships. The band then worked on arrangements with me and brought such a unique and powerful sound to each song. I couldn’t do this without Johnny McMahon, Sam Jaksa, Luke Leheny, and Jeff Kidd! We took the songs to Big Nice Studio in Lincoln, RI with Emma Newton as our producer who brought the most incredible string and orchestral arrangements to live. We featured Jackie Scott, Fiona Wood, Charlie Larson and myself on some string and woodwind parts to round out our soundtrack-style moments.

You describe your music as Witchy Pop. Can you explain what that is?

We believe that live music is magic — that when we’re all together at a show, singing and dancing together, we’re putting energy out into the world. Basically, it’s modern spellcasting. So that’s the core of witch pop, but our alt rock 90s sound mixed with some dark orchestral elements really brings the witchiness out even more. 

 How long have you been playing piano?

Since I was really young! I was lucky that my mom wanted a piano for our house (even though she didn’t play) and having the instrument to play on through the years made me fall in love with music. I took lessons on and off, but I focused more on the flute for a while. It wasn’t until I started songwriting in 2015 that I could even figure out how to sing and play the piano at the same time!

When did you realize music was something you wanted to take more seriously?

In high school, I was really dedicated to classical flute performance, and went to URI for it. I’ve always been really drawn to music either through pop music or loving things like Fantasia and movie soundtracks! I thought it would be amazing to play in an orchestra as my job. While music didn’t end up being my full time job, I think it freed me up to love it even more and use it as an escape and creative outlet. 

 Who are some of your biggest music inspirations?

Brandi Carlile comes to mind, as well as Ingrid Michaelson. I was always listening to singer-songwriters growing up and I loved hearing the gritty details in how different artists approached their lyrics and vocals. The DIY movement of “wizard rock” solidified my approach to music being the center of a community, and I’ve gotta give a nod the bands Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, and Tonks and the Aurors for showing me that music can be goofy and fun and all about bringing people together. Did I have this genre in mind when I came up with witch pop? Surprisingly no, but I think my path has been leading me here all along. 

Photo courtesy of Olivia Dolphin.

 You post a lot about how grateful you are to be in the Rhode Island music community. What about the community do you think makes it stand out?

It’s true! There’s room for everyone here, and this community is always going to cheer you on. We protect each other as much as we can, and the support always goes both ways. People show up for each other and for our local venues. When I first started playing shows, I was nervous that we wouldn’t find our place in the city, but that was absolutely not true Places like Dusk and Askew really embraced our sound and the vibe we brought to the venues. The other thing is Rhode Island just love music. It’s as simple as that. We want there to be a strong music presence in our creative city, so people make it happen. I’ve been saying lately that community is inherently inconvenient. You have to use it or lose it. Community is a big word that gets thrown around a lot, but it takes work to be part of something and to show up for it. I’m proud of the way Rhode Island shows up for music — and across all genres too. 

Favorite venues in Rhode Island?

Can I say all of them? They’re all critical to our creative community! But, I’ll say Myrtle for sure. The vibes are immaculate, and the shows are early enough to suit our audience needs (and ours!)

What’s next for you? Upcoming shows?

We’ve got two shows we’re so excited about. On February 12th, Queer Love Stories (From the diaries of…) will feature Space Cowboy Newt, Sioo, and myself (solo) and a bunch of other artists telling love stories. It’s gonna be cute. On April 3rd, we’re returning to AS220 with YONKS (our pvd sister band!) and a Boston-based pop artist SARIKA that we cannot wait to host in Providence. This show is not to be missed. 

Listen to ‘All the Time We Spent’ here.