[2] It has been described as sounding more calm and restrained than the group's previous singles, such as "That's Not My Name" and "Shut Up and Let Me Go", with singer Kate White's vocal in particular being described as "surprisingly gentle".

"[1] Its musical style has been compared to that of Blondie, with the melody and the keyboard drawing comparison to the group's "Union City Blue".

[1][8] An album review for Rolling Stone, penned by Michael Endelman, highlighted the song as one of We Started Nothing's examples of "peppy New Wave that's ridiculously catchy".

[7] Music critic Adam Moerder, writing for Pitchfork, commended the song as one of the better tracks on We Started Nothing, praising its "goth-twinged twee" as making "for one of the most fully fleshed-out ideas amidst a sea of half-baked inklings" on the album, although also opining that it "may not possess the immediacy" to qualify as a "standout track".

[10] A single review by BBC Radio 1 awarded the track four stars out of five and commended its similarities to the music of Blondie.

[5] A review of We Started Nothing by Chris Baynes, writing for PopMatters, called the song — as well as "Keep Your Head" — "flowery nuggets of electro-pop, catchy enough to be mildly diverting but ultimately pretty hollow".

[11] Digital Spy awarded the single three out of five stars, calling it "pretty charming" and opining that White sounds "almost" "sweet and vulnerable".