Messy (album)

Messy
Studio album by
Olivia Dean
Released30 June 2023 (2023-06-30)
Genre
Length35:28
LabelEMI
Producer
Olivia Dean chronology
Messy
(2023) 		The Art of Loving
(2025)
Singles from Messy
  1. "Danger"
    Released: 18 October 2022
  2. "UFO"
    Released: 31 January 2023
  3. "Dive"
    Released: 28 March 2023
  4. "Carmen"
    Released: 26 May 2023
  5. "The Hardest Part"
    Released: 16 June 2023
  6. "Ladies Room"
    Released: 22 September 2023
  7. "Dangerously Easy"
    Released: 19 January 2024

Messy is the debut studio album by English singer Olivia Dean. The album was released on 30 June 2023 through EMI.[3][4] The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
NME[7]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[8]
The Guardian[9]
Clash8/10[10]
DIY[11]

Upon release, Messy received highly positive reviews from music critics. The album holds a score of 77 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.

[6] Sophie Williams of NME rated the album 4 out of 5 stars, complementing Dean's "confidence to occasionally dissect subjects that others swerve" while keeping a "mainstream" appeal.[12] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Izzy Sigston deemed the singer as "the master of versatility",[13] and commended the wide range of the album. Alim Kheraj of The Guardian was a little critical of the album, hoping that "Dean will relinquish the tired neo-soul fodder to pursue the experimentation she’s clearly capable of".[9] However, Robin Murray of Clash called the album "a bold, impressive debut offering" while commending the album's "broad range" and "precise execution".[10]

Track listing

Messy track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."UFO"
Hales2:34
2."Dive"
  • Dean
  • Bastian Langebæk
  • Max Wolfgang
3:20
3."Ladies Room"
  • Dean
  • Britten Newbill
  • Aston Rudi
  • Hales
  • Rudi
3:40
4."No Man"
  • Dean
  • DetoNate
  • Hales
  • Tekiva Ledwidge
  • Andrew Sarlo
  • Sinai Tedros
Hales2:59
5."Dangerously Easy"
  • Dean
  • Hales
Hales2:43
6."Getting There (Interlude)"
  • Dean
  • Deschanel Gordon
  • Hales
  • Taran Martino
  • Joel Waters
  • Finn Zeferino-Birchall
Hales1:46
7."Danger"
  • Dean
  • Ledwidge
  • Jean-Marie
  • Ilsey Juber
  • DetoNate
  • Jean-Marie
2:55
8."The Hardest Part"
  • Dean
  • Langebæk
  • Wolfgang
  • Langebæk
  • Felix Joseph[a]
  • Cameron Gower Poole[v]
2:56
9."I Could Be a Florist"
  • Dean
  • Langebæk
  • Newbill
  • Wolfgang
Wolfgang1:21
10."Messy"
  • Dean
  • Hales
  • Sarlo
Hales3:43
11."Everybody's Crazy"
  • Dean
  • Joseph
Joseph2:43
12."Carmen"
  • Dean
  • Hales
Hales4:48
Total length:35:28

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
  • ^[v] signifies a vocal producer.

Personnel

Musicians

  • Olivia Dean – vocals (all tracks), percussion (tracks 2–6, 10, 12), piano (9)
  • Matt Hales – programming (1, 3–6, 10, 12), piano (1, 4–6, 10, 12), keyboards (1, 4–6, 12), guitar (1), vocal programming (3); Moog bass, synthesizer (10)
  • Taran Stormes Martino – acoustic guitar (1), guitar (2–6, 10, 12)
  • Finn Zeferino-Birchall – bass guitar (1–6, 10, 12)
  • Kaidi Akinnibi – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone (2, 3, 12)
  • Max Wolfgang – bass guitar (2, 8); piano, percussion (2, 9); guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (9)
  • Dan See – drums (2, 4, 8, 10, 12), percussion (2, 3, 10, 12), timpani (4)
  • Tre Jean-Marie – keyboards, programming (2, 7); bass guitar, drums, horns, keyboards, synthesizer (7)
  • Joel Waters – percussion (2), drums (3, 5, 6)
  • Deschanel Gordon – Rhodes (2), keyboards (3), organ (4–6, 12)
  • Elias Jordan Atkinson – trumpet (2, 3, 12), flugelhorn (10)
  • James Wade-Sired – trombone (2, 3, 12)
  • Davide Rossi – strings, string arrangement (4)
  • DetoNate – bass guitar, drums, horns, keyboards, programming, synthesizer (7)
  • Bastian Langebæk – keyboards (8)
  • Felix Joseph – programming (8)
  • Huw Foster – bass guitar (11)
  • Russell Ramesh Roberts – percussion (12)

Technical

  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • Nathan Boddy – mixing (1, 4–12)
  • Manon Grandjean – mixing (2, 3)
  • Daniel Moyler – engineering (1–6, 10, 12)
  • Matt Hales – engineering (2–6, 10, 12
  • Bastian Langebæk – engineering (2, 8)
  • Tre Jean-Marie – engineering (2, 7)
  • Felix Joseph – engineering (8, 11)
  • Max Wolfgang – engineering (9)
  • James Pinfield-Wells – engineering assistance (1–6, 10, 12)
  • Andrew Sarlo – additional engineering (10)

Visuals

  • Olivia Dean – creative direction, photography, design
  • Emily Braham – creative direction, design
  • Rory Dewar – design
  • Felix Joseph – photography
  • Danl KM – photography
  • Petros Studio – photography
  • Emily Anderson – illustration

Charts

Chart performance for Messy
Chart (2023–2024) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 107
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 52
French Albums (SNEP)[16] 191
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] 10
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 32
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 4

Certifications

Certifications for Messy
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Messy
Region Date Format(s) Edition Label Ref.
Various 30 June 2023
Standard
[21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ Pareles, Jon (29 June 2023). "On Her Debut Album, Olivia Dean Is Already Pushing Ahead". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  2. ^ Kheraj, Alim (30 June 2023). "Olivia Dean: Messy review – hackneyed British soul tropes do singer a disservice". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Olivia Dean Announces Debut Album Messy". Clunk Magazine. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  4. ^ Murray, Robin (29 March 2023). "Olivia Dean Details Debut Album Messy". Clash. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  5. ^ Snapes, Laura (27 July 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys tie Radiohead's record for most nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Messy by Olivia Dean Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Olivia Dean – 'Messy' review: vibrant, consistent and brimming with life". NME. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Olivia Dean's Messy is anything but chaotic". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b Kheraj, Alim (30 June 2023). "Olivia Dean: Messy review – hackneyed British soul tropes do singer a disservice". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Olivia Dean – Messy". Clash. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  11. ^ Martin, Bella (30 June 2023). "Olivia Dean - Messy". DIY. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Olivia Dean – 'Messy' review: vibrant, consistent and brimming with life". NME. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Olivia Dean's Messy is anything but chaotic". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Olivia Dean – Messy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Olivia Dean – Messy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Lescharts.com – Olivia Dean – Messy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  18. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Olivia Dean – Messy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  20. ^ "British album certifications – Olivia Dean – Messy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  21. ^ "Messy by Olivia Dean". Amazon Music. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Messy [VINYL]:Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl". Amazon Music. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Messy by Olivia Dean on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
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