diff --git a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss
index ed4d5356c..f32419a14 100644
--- a/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss
+++ b/data/theme/gnome-shell-sass/widgets/_message-list.scss
@@ -127,23 +127,21 @@
     margin-top: 0;
     spacing: $base_padding;
 
-    // icon container
-    .message-icon-bin {
-      &:ltr { padding-right:$base_padding;}
-      &:rtl { padding-left:$base_padding;}
+    // icon of the message
+    .message-icon {
+      &:ltr { margin-right:$base_padding;}
+      &:rtl { margin-left:$base_padding;}
 
       // icon size and color
-      > StIcon {
-        icon-size: $base_icon_size * 3; // 48px
-        -st-icon-style: symbolic;
+      icon-size: $base_icon_size * 3; // 48px
+      -st-icon-style: symbolic;
 
-        .message-themed-icon {
-          border-radius: $forced_circular_radius; // is circular
-          background-color: transparentize($fg_color, 0.8);
-          icon-size: $base_icon_size;
-          min-width: $base_icon_size * 3;
-          min-height: $base_icon_size * 3;
-        }
+      &.message-themed-icon {
+        border-radius: $forced_circular_radius; // is circular
+        background-color: transparentize($fg_color, 0.8);
+        icon-size: $base_icon_size;
+        min-width: $base_icon_size * 3;
+        min-height: $base_icon_size * 3;
       }
     }
 
@@ -203,18 +201,13 @@
   & StIcon { icon-size: $base_icon_size; }
 }
 
-// album-art
-.media-message-cover-icon {
-  icon-size: $base_icon_size * 3 !important; // 48px
-  border-radius: $base_border_radius;
+.media-message {
+  // album-art
+  .message-icon {
+    border-radius: $base_border_radius !important;
 
-  // when there is no artwork
-  &.fallback {
-    color: darken($fg_color, 17%);
-    background-color: $bg_color;
-    border: 1px solid transparent;
-    border-radius: $base_border_radius;
-    icon-size: $large_icon_size !important; // 32px
-    padding: ($base_padding * 2 + 2); // 16px
+    &.message-themed-icon {
+      icon-size: $large_icon_size !important; // 32px
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/js/ui/calendar.js b/js/ui/calendar.js
index dcf860651..1d92b3578 100644
--- a/js/ui/calendar.js
+++ b/js/ui/calendar.js
@@ -774,7 +774,7 @@ class NotificationMessage extends MessageList.Message {
         this.notification = notification;
         this.datetime = notification.datetime;
 
-        this.setIcon(this._getIcon());
+        this.setIcon(notification.gicon);
 
         this.connect('close', () => {
             this._closed = true;
@@ -798,20 +798,9 @@ class NotificationMessage extends MessageList.Message {
         });
     }
 
-    _getIcon() {
-        const {gicon} = this.notification;
-        if (gicon) {
-            const styleClass =
-                gicon instanceof Gio.ThemedIcon ? 'message-themed-icon' : '';
-            return new St.Icon({gicon, styleClass});
-        } else {
-            return null;
-        }
-    }
-
     _onUpdated(n, _clear) {
         this.datetime = n.datetime;
-        this.setIcon(this._getIcon());
+        this.setIcon(n.gicon);
         this.setTitle(n.title);
         this.setBody(n.body);
         this.setUseBodyMarkup(n.useBodyMarkup);
diff --git a/js/ui/messageList.js b/js/ui/messageList.js
index 37254f72e..1e8b26762 100644
--- a/js/ui/messageList.js
+++ b/js/ui/messageList.js
@@ -475,13 +475,13 @@ export const Message = GObject.registerClass({
         });
         vbox.add_child(this._actionBin);
 
-        this._iconBin = new St.Bin({
-            style_class: 'message-icon-bin',
+        this._icon = new St.Icon({
+            style_class: 'message-icon',
             y_expand: true,
             y_align: Clutter.ActorAlign.START,
             visible: false,
         });
-        hbox.add_child(this._iconBin);
+        hbox.add_child(this._icon);
 
         const contentBox = new St.BoxLayout({
             style_class: 'message-content',
@@ -523,9 +523,15 @@ export const Message = GObject.registerClass({
         this.emit('close');
     }
 
-    setIcon(actor) {
-        this._iconBin.child = actor;
-        this._iconBin.visible = actor != null;
+    setIcon(icon) {
+        this._icon.gicon = icon;
+
+        if (icon instanceof Gio.ThemedIcon)
+            this._icon.add_style_class_name('message-themed-icon');
+        else
+            this._icon.remove_style_class_name('message-themed-icon');
+
+        this._icon.visible = !!icon;
     }
 
     get datetime() {
diff --git a/js/ui/mpris.js b/js/ui/mpris.js
index 80b6af8fa..55f6a97aa 100644
--- a/js/ui/mpris.js
+++ b/js/ui/mpris.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import Gio from 'gi://Gio';
 import GObject from 'gi://GObject';
 import Shell from 'gi://Shell';
-import St from 'gi://St';
 import * as Signals from '../misc/signals.js';
 
 import * as Main from './main.js';
@@ -24,12 +23,10 @@ export const MediaMessage = GObject.registerClass(
 class MediaMessage extends MessageList.Message {
     _init(player) {
         super._init(player.source, '', '');
+        this.add_style_class_name('media-message');
 
         this._player = player;
 
-        this._icon = new St.Icon({style_class: 'media-message-cover-icon'});
-        this.setIcon(this._icon);
-
         this._prevButton = this.addMediaControl('media-skip-backward-symbolic',
             () => {
                 this._player.previous();
@@ -65,12 +62,10 @@ class MediaMessage extends MessageList.Message {
         this.setBody(this._player.trackArtists.join(', '));
 
         if (this._player.trackCoverUrl) {
-            let file = Gio.File.new_for_uri(this._player.trackCoverUrl);
-            this._icon.gicon = new Gio.FileIcon({file});
-            this._icon.remove_style_class_name('fallback');
+            const file = Gio.File.new_for_uri(this._player.trackCoverUrl);
+            this.setIcon(new Gio.FileIcon({file}));
         } else {
-            this._icon.icon_name = 'audio-x-generic-symbolic';
-            this._icon.add_style_class_name('fallback');
+            this.setIcon(new Gio.ThemedIcon({name: 'audio-x-generic-symbolic'}));
         }
 
         let isPlaying = this._player.status === 'Playing';