| Compliments Please | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 March 2019 | |||
| Genre | Pop, Experimental pop | |||
| Length | 52:42 | |||
| Label | Fiction Records | |||
| Self Esteem chronology | ||||
| ||||
Compliments Please is the first studio album by the British musician Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, released on 1 March 2019.
Taylor has 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]
"(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]
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]
All tracks are written by Rebecca Lucy Taylor
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(Feelings)" | 0:33 |
| 2. | "The Best" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg) | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Steady I Stand" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Oluwaseye Adelekan) | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Girl Crush" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Jacob Vetter, Sophie Galpin) | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Favourite Problem" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Jacob Vetter, Oluwaseye Adelekan, Esau Mwamwaya) | 3:49 |
| 6. | "(Hobbies)" | 2:10 |
| 7. | "I'm Shy" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg) | 3:15 |
| 8. | "Peach You Had To Pick" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Jacob Vetter) | 4:05 |
| 9. | "In Time" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Jacob Vetter) | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Monster" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Jacob Vetter) | 3:10 |
| 11. | "Actors" | 2:47 |
| 12. | "Wrestling" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Oluwaseye Adelekan) | 3:33 |
| 13. | "(Truly Free)" (Co-writer: Jacob Vetter) | 0:48 |
| 14. | "She Reigns" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg) | 4:37 |
| 15. | "Rollout" (Co-writer: Johan Karlberg) | 3:16 |
| 16. | "On The Edge Of Another One" | 2:01 |
| 17. | "Rooms" (Bonus track on deluxe edition. Co-writer: Johan Karlberg, Jacob Vetter, David Maclean) | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 52:42 | |
Musicians
Production
Artwork
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