Compliments Please

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]

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