The immigrant story is one as old as humanity, and Olina’s new EP By The Book shares hers in relatable detail.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Loreta Tale
Pulling up sticks and moving to a new country can be a discombobulating experience so none can blame Olina for using music to process hers. Originally from Greece, the artist migrated to London and entered a world of distant relationships and quiet struggles.
Olina isn’t new to us. In 2025, I shared two of her singles, Newspaper Smell and Tug of War both of which feature on her new EP. The former astutely ruminated “on the absurdity of class” while the latter showed us a different side to her sound, “stripping things back with acoustic guitar and gentle vocals.”
They are the opening one-two punch of By The Book giving us some early contrast between the upbeat and raucous and the devastatingly intimate. It’s a strong start to the EP, and the record’s three other tracks don’t disappoint.
Smithereens is lush and heartbreaking, channelling the best of ‘90s indie pop in a thoroughly modern way. Its explosive chorus is a highlight. Sadist is rich with delicately plucked strings and a folky atmosphere. It brings Olina’s gift for elevating the everyday to the fore.
Let Her Lie closes things out in a timeless fashion, pairing softly strummed acoustic guitar with subtle storytelling. It all proves a precursor to a big, cathartic finish where Olina lets her struggles pour forth.
Across the EP, she touches on themes of distance, belonging, and identity through a mix of humour, vulnerability, and emotional candour. With this EP, Olina is proving herself a songwriting tour de force, and coverage from tastemakers like Atwood Magazine, Obscure Sounds, and It’s All Indie back that up.
Yet she’s also a woman of many talents, fronting the political rock-fusion band The Zaramutas (who have also featured on our blog) as well as running her own jewellery brand, Drool Jewels, alongside making music.
By The Book is an interesting and beautifully crafted EP which showcases just what Olina has to offer as an artist. It marks an expansion of her sonic world compared to her debut EP For E. I strongly suspect it’s her next step to something great and I’ll be keeping a close eye on where she goes from here.
You can keep up to date with all she’s doing by following her on Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
By The Book is out now, and you can listen to it below.
