Born in New Jersey and raised in London since the age of two, OLI (Olivia Masek) has always lived between two worlds. That in-between feeling shows up everywhere on her debut album, “When It All Goes Quiet”. The London-based alt-pop artist has been building a name for herself with emotionally charged music that feels like it belongs in a film. With collaborations featuring cellist Zara Hudson-Kozdoj (who’s worked with Max Richter) and an exclusive vinyl duet with Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode, this 12-track collection is OLI’s first baby.
“This is music that doesn’t fill the silence, but completes it.”
OLI has called this album “the stillness before dawn, music for in-between moments when you need to feel everything at once,” and honestly, that sounds about right. The production is detailed without being fussy. The jazz influences listed in the genre tags don’t show up in an obvious way. They’re there in the sophisticated chord changes, the way certain passages feel improvised and free, and how she uses silence as effectively as sound. It gives the whole album a mature feel that’s surprising for a debut. OLI knows what she’s doing, and more importantly, she knows what she wants to say.
Her voice is the thread that holds everything together. Each track feels like part of a larger story, building and releasing tension. She’s reaching for something bigger here, trying to capture feelings that are hard to put into words, and she mostly succeeds. OLI wanted to create “a world you could step into, where the emotions hit but you can breathe inside them.” This isn’t one of those albums that forces you to confront difficult feelings head-on. It creates room for those feelings to exist without drowning you.
For a debut album, “When It All Goes Quiet” feels remarkably complete. If you’re tired of pop that all sounds the same, if you want something that rewards actual listening, this album is for you. Put on some good headphones, dim the lights, and let OLI take you somewhere else for a while.
Muse Chronicle 
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