Compliments Please

Compliments Please
Studio album by Self Esteem
Released	1 March 2019
Genre	Pop, Experimental pop
Length	52:42
Label	Fiction Records
Self Esteem chronology
Compliments Please (2019) Prioritise Pleasure (2021)

Compliments Please is the first album by the British musician Self Esteem, released on 1 March 2019.

Writing and recording

Self Esteem, born Rebecca Lucy Taylor, said that she wrote most of the record whilst happily in a relationship, but that "Rollout", "In Time" and "I'm Shy" were written in the aftermath of the breakup of that relationship. ^[1] Tracks for the album were recorded by Taylor in Margate from January to September 2018 with producer and co-writer Johan Hugo Karlberg. ^[2] Taylor signed a record deal with Fiction Records in April 2018. ^[3] During the period of recording she played live at Latitude, Tramlines and a sold out show at Omeara Theatre London, ^[4] followed by an eight-show UK tour in autumn 2018. ^[5]

Music and lyrics

"(Feelings)", the spoken word beginning to the record, features an American woman speaking about the frustrations and compromises of being in a band, something which Taylor experienced while in Slow Club. ^[6] The audio is Taylor's recording of Los Angeles Uber driver Kelly Jones, who was speaking about her own experience of being a singer in a band. ^[1]

"Girl Crush" is critical of performative bisexuality and about Taylor's own experience of being approached by heterosexual women to experience homosexual relationships as a curiosity or a dare. ^{[7] [8]} It has been contrasted to Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" which has been criticised for trivialising same-sex relationships. ^[1]

Taylor has said that "Wresting" is about the early stages of many relationships in which both parties try not to seem too enthusiastic. ^[9] "Rollout", with its refrain "What I might have achieved / If I wasn't trying to please you" has been described by Taylor as being the story of her 20s, trying to people-please in her music, her romantic relationships, her family and in wider society. ^[7]

Release and reception

The first single "Wrestling" was released in July 2018 followed by "Rollout" in September 2018, "The Best" in January 2019 and "Girl Crush" in February 2019. ^[10] Compliments Please was released on 1 March 2019 on Fiction Records. ^[11] Described as "brewing a concoction of high octane, R&B infused pop" ^[12] it was well received critically, with an average rating of 80/100 according to Metacritic. ^[13] A deluxe version was released in October 2019 with an additional track "Rooms". ^[14]

Compliments Please was reissued on vinyl on 22 April 2023 for Record Store Day, ^[15] causing it to enter the vinyl charts top 10. ^[16]

As of April 2025, the album has sold 11,630 copies in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company. ^[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Rebecca Lucy Taylor with others noted..

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Feelings"		0:33
2.	"The Best"	Johan Karlberg	3:50
3.	"Steady I Stand"	Karlberg Oluwaseye Adelekan	3:51
4.	"Girl Crush"	Karlberg Jacob Vetter Sophie Galpin	4:04
5.	"Favourite Problem"	Karlberg Vetter Adelekan Esau Mwamwaya	3:49
6.	"Hobbies"		2:10
7.	"I'm Shy"	Karlberg	3:15
8.	"Peach You Had to Pick"	Karlberg Vetter	4:05
9.	"In Time"	Karlberg Vetter	3:26
10.	"Monster"	Karlberg Vetter	3:10
11.	"Actors"		2:47
12.	"Wrestling"	Karlberg Adelekan	3:33
13.	"Truly Free"	Vetter	0:48
14.	"She Reigns"	Karlberg	4:37
15.	"Rollout"	Karlberg	3:16
16.	"On the Edge of Another One"		2:01
17.	"Rooms" (bonus track on deluxe edition)	Karlberg Vetter David Maclean	3:20
Total length:			52:42

Notes:

• "Feelings", "Hobbies", and "Truly Free" are stylised with parentheses.

Personnel

Musicians

• Rebecca Lucy Taylor – vocals, guitar, percussion, drums, keys
• Johan Hugo Karlberg – programming, keys
• Jacob Vetter – keys, guitar, bass, percussion, backing vocals
• Oluwaseye Adelekan – guitar, bass, percussion, backing vocals
• Sophie Galpin – backing vocals, strings
• Kelli Blanchett – backing vocals
• Raven Bush – strings
• Resound Choir – Joseph Clarke, Mariah Hargrove, Jessica Fox
• Kelly Jones – spoken word on (Feelings)
• Alessandro Babalola – spoken word on (Hobbies)
• Genesis Lynea – spoken word on (Truly Free)

Production

• Johan Hugo Karlberg – production, recording, engineering
• Jacob Vetter – co-producer tracks 2–5, 8–11 and 14
• Mixing – James Dring
• Mastering – Jason Mitchell

Artwork

• Cover photo – Charlotte Patmore
• Painting (inside cover) – Francesca Hague, edited by Ian Hall

References

1. "How Rebecca Taylor found her self-esteem | Interview". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
2. "Self Esteem announces debut album with lead single "The Best"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
3. Taylor, Rebecca Lucy [@SELFESTEEM___] (4 April 2018). "Last night I signed a deal with @FictionRecords as a solo lady. I am very happy and excited. And hungover. https://t.co/SHIyBQP1Jr" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023– via Twitter.
4. Taylor, Rebecca Lucy [@SELFESTEEM___] (22 September 2018). "Baby just let in your truth. https://t.co/bn0b4oLlzm" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023– via Twitter.
5. Taylor, Rebecca Lucy [@SELFESTEEM___] (3 October 2018). "DOING SMALL TOUR ideally won't be this cheap to see me for much longer lads so come to this ! https://t.co/ZKx3uIy0nN https://t.co/h2fsPr1cpG" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2023– via Twitter.
6. ""I'm pretty f***ing selfish. I do it for myself.": An interview with Self Esteem". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
7. "Self Esteem is better off on her own". BBC News. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
8. "Self Esteem challenges gender specifics on new single "Girl Crush"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
9. "Self Esteem debuts new song "Wrestling" plays one-off London headline show". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
10. "self esteem | Dork". readdork.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
11. Snapes, Laura (2019-03-01). "Self Esteem: Compliments Please review – sly, covetous pop". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-03-20.
12. "Self Esteem's Compliments Please is an exhilarating statement of intent". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
13. Compliments Please by Self Esteem , retrieved 2023-02-04
14. "Self Esteem unveils new track "Rooms" from deluxe edition of debut album". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
15. "@SELFESTEEM___". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
16. "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
17. "Rebecca Lucy Taylor and Polydor preview Self Esteem's major label debut". Music Week. Retrieved 2025-04-25.