The title track "Black Friday" was nominated for the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically on Thursday 23 May 2024.

[2] The eponymous track, released as the lead single on 22 September 2023, was written on his 32nd birthday in 2022 and deals with "admiration and love for the people" in his life as well as the "proclivity to be unkind" to himself.

[6] Writing for Laut.de, Josephine Maria Bayer thought Black Friday was neither "monotonous" nor "predictable" with Odell surpassing himself as a songwriter and arranger.

[8] Emma Harrison at Clash noted that Odell takes him and the listener "on an emotional and intimate journey" with moments that are "enthralling" and some that are "a bit too melancholy and a smidge lacklustre".

[7] Being more critical of the record, Will Hodgkinson of The Times admitted that, despite "structure" and "interludes of orchestras tuning up", the album did not move them, calling it "all so humourless".