Messy (album)

Messy
Studio album by Olivia Dean
Released	30 June 2023 (2023-06-30)
Genre	Pop-soul [1] neo-soul [2]
Length	35:28
Label	EMI
Producer	DetoNate Matt Hales Tre Jean-Marie Felix Joseph Bastian Langebæk Aston Rudi Max Wolfgang
Olivia Dean chronology
Live at the Jazz Café (2021) Messy (2023) The Art of Loving (2025)
Singles from Messy
"Danger" Released: 18 October 2022 [3] "UFO" Released: 31 January 2023 [4] "Dive" Released: 28 March 2023 [5] "Carmen" Released: 26 May 2023 [6] "Ladies Room" Released: 29 September 2023 [7] "Dangerously Easy" Released: 24 January 2024 [8]

Messy is the debut studio album by English singer Olivia Dean. The album was released on 30 June 2023 through EMI. ^[9] It peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, and is certified silver by the BPI. ^[10] In 2023, it was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. ^[11]

Background and composition

After the publication of four EP through EMI Records, Dean started working on her first full-length studio album with several producers and songwriters, including Matt Helders, Tre Jean-Marie, Bastian Langebæk, Max Wolfgang, Matt Colton and Italian musician Davide Rossi. ^{[12] [13]} The singer told that she was ispired by neo soul, contemporary R&B and Motown music. ^{[14] [15]} In a interview with Forbes , Dean also revealed that the album was initially going to be called "Between Islands", referring to an exhibition at the Tate in London about the wind turbine generator. ^[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100 [17]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10 [18]
DIY	[19]
The Guardian	[20]
The Line of Best Fit	9/10 [21]
NME	[22]

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. ^[17]

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. ^[23] Writing for The Line of Best Fit , Izzy Sigston deemed the singer as "the master of versatility", ^[24] 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". ^[20] However, Robin Murray of Clash called the album "a bold, impressive debut offering" while commending the album's "broad range" and "precise execution". ^[18]

Commercial performance

In the United Kindom Messy debouted at numer four on the Official Albums Chart, becoming Dean first record project to chart. ^[25]

Track listing

Messy track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"UFO"	Olivia Dean Matt Hales	Hales	2:34
2.	"Dive"	Dean Bastian Langebæk Max Wolfgang	Hales Langebæk Tre Jean-Marie Joseph Hartwell Jones [v]	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	Hales	2:59
5.	"Dangerously Easy"	Dean Hales	Hales	2:43
6.	"Getting There (Interlude)"	Dean Deschanel Gordon Hales Taran Martino Joel Waters Finn Zeferino-Birchall	Hales	1:46
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	Wolfgang	1:21
10.	"Messy"	Dean Hales Sarlo	Hales	3:43
11.	"Everybody's Crazy"	Dean Joseph	Joseph	2:43
12.	"Carmen"	Dean Hales	Hales	4:48
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 (2023–2026)	Peak position
Australian On Replay Albums (ARIA) [26]	43
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [27]	44
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [28]	17
French Albums (SNEP) [29]	191
Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge) [30]	57
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [31]	178
Scottish Albums (OCC) [32]	10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [33]	54
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [34]	32
UK Albums (OCC) [35]	4

Certifications

Certifications for Messy

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [36]	Gold	7,500‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [37]	Gold	100,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Messy

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	30 June 2023	Cassette CD digital download LP streaming	EMI	[38] [39] [40]

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. "Danger". Alfitude. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
4. "Olivia Dean Takes You into Another Planet with "UFO"". New Wave Magazine. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
5. "Olivia Dean "Dive"". Euphoria Magazine. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
6. "Olivia Dean "Carmen"". Euphoria Magazine. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
7. "Oliva Dean Ladies Room". U Discover Music. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
8. "Radio 1 Playlist (26/01/24)". Buzzjack. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
9. Watson, Elly (29 March 2023). "Olivia Dean announces debut album 'Messy'". DIY . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
10. Brandle, Lars (10 July 2023). "Nothing But Thieves Nab U.K. Chart Crown With 'Dead Club City'". Billboard . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
11. Snapes, Laura (27 July 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys tie Radiohead's record for most nominations". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 July 2023.
12. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (30 June 2023). "Olivia Dean: Messy album review — smoky, self-assured London grooves". The Financial Times . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
13. Murray, Robin (29 March 2023). "Olivia Dean Details Debut Album Messy". Clash . Retrieved 20 June 2023.
14. Mylrea, Hannah (27 March 2023). "Get ready for the summer of Olivia Dean". NME . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
15. Wilkinson, Chiara (13 November 2023). "Olivia Dean: 'It's hard to see myself as part of it, sometimes'". Time Out . Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
16. Baltin, Steve (9 December 2023). "Best Of 2023: Olivia Dean Mesmerizes On Debut Album, 'Messy'". Forbes . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
17. "Messy by Olivia Dean Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 1 July 2023.
18. "Olivia Dean – Messy". Clash . 4 July 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
19. Martin, Bella (30 June 2023). "Olivia Dean - Messy". DIY . Retrieved 11 August 2025.
20. Kheraj, Alim (30 June 2023). "Olivia Dean: Messy review – hackneyed British soul tropes do singer a disservice". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 August 2023.
21. "Olivia Dean's Messy is anything but chaotic". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 30 June 2023.
22. "Olivia Dean – 'Messy' review: vibrant, consistent and brimming with life". NME . 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
23. "Olivia Dean – 'Messy' review: vibrant, consistent and brimming with life". NME . 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
24. "Olivia Dean's Messy is anything but chaotic". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 30 June 2023.
25. Carl, Smith (7 July 2023). "Nothing But Thieves claim first-ever Number 1 album with Dead Club City". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
26. "ARIA Top 50 On Replay Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
27. "Ultratop.be – Olivia Dean – Messy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
28. "Dutchcharts.nl – Olivia Dean – Messy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
29. "Lescharts.com – Olivia Dean – Messy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
30. "Album 2026 uke 02". IFPI Norge . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
31. "Top 200 Álbuns Semana 48 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 3. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
32. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
33. "Veckolista Album, vecka 2, 2026". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
34. "Swisscharts.com – Olivia Dean – Messy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
35. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
36. "New Zealand album certifications – Olivia Dean – Messy". Radioscope. Retrieved 14 November 2025.Type Messy in the "Search:" fieldand press Enter.
37. "British album certifications – Olivia Dean – Messy". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 31 October 2025.
38. "Messy by Olivia Dean". Amazon Music. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
39. "Messy [VINYL]:Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl". Amazon Music. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
40. "Messy by Olivia Dean on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 20 June 2023.