Messy (album)

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

Critical reception
Messy received a score of 77 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. 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. Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Izzy Sigston deemed the singer as "the master of versatility", 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". However, Robin Murray of Clash called the album "a bold, impressive debut offering" while commending the album's "broad range" and "precise execution".

Track listing
Notes
 * $undefined$ signifies an additional producer.
 * $undefined$ 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