All Hours features 11 songs written and produced by Chase and Schlesinger; they take influence from electropop, indie pop and synth-pop music.

All Hours received mixed reviews from music critics; although several applauded Ivy for exploring a new sound, several of the songs on the album were described as boring and overly simple.

Determined to prove that an artist could work while simultaneously raising a family, Durand stated, "I really can't stand when I see musicians, great songwriters, and after having kids they become so boring, I talk about that all day.

[7] A version of the album featuring 11 audio snippets of Durand discussing the curation of each track was uploaded to Nettwerk's official SoundCloud profile one day prior, on September 19.

[8] Compared to Ivy's previous releases, All Hours explores new sounds and genres; according to John Bergstrom, a writer for PopMatters, the album combines indie pop and synth-pop, in addition to being reminiscent of music from the 1980s.

[9] AllMusic's Matt Collar agreed, stating the album has a "stylish, early-'80s disco-meets-new wave vibe" and then said it heavily experiments with electronic music, whereas previous Ivy records only "flirted" with it.

[11] The former track has also been classified in the electronica genre, in contrast to the more "melodic guitar pop" vibe that was featured on their previous studio album, In the Clear,[7] whereas the latter song contains "tough-love cliché" lyrics such as "We've got to find some time to get together / How's never?

[14] An extended play, featuring the album version of "Distant Lights" and two remixes created by Douze, was later distributed for digital download and streaming on January 30, 2012.

[17] It was directed by Schlesinger's close friend Adam Neustadter, who helped create a "colorful" and "vaguely disorienting clip" that corresponds with the song's "synth-pop vibe".

[18] "Lost in the Sun" was released as the album's third and final single on April 10, 2012; in its digital form, it included a previously unreleased song – "We Try" – as a bonus track.

In Matt Collar's AllMusic review, he stated that the album "is not as warm or immediately enticing as much of Ivy's previous work", but commended the "detached electronica" feeling from songs "Fascinated", "Lost in the Sun" and "She Really Got to You".

[24] In a mixed review, Bergstrom from PopMatters criticized the songwriting on All Hours, calling Durand a "near-liability" on "flat-out boring songs".

Frank Mojica of Consequence of Sound disliked the album, calling it "ultimately forgettable", minus tracks "Distant Lights" and "Make It So Hard".