Musically the song has been described as a "lounge-y piano ballad", and Beatlesque,[6] with "gorgeous string arrangements" reminiscent of Burt Bacharach and George Martin's work with said group.

"[7] Robin Murray of Clash, thought there was a "sense of Bowie's mid 70s peak in the arrangement", and that the song "Split in two by that guitar solo", finds the band, "moving in a sensual, yet utterly insular, path.

"[9] About the chorus, "Straight from the cover shoot / There's still a trace of body paint / On your legs and on your arms and on your face", lead singer Alex Turner said, "Not exactly what you'd imagine singing over the loud bit–But it's as much about the musical ideas as the lyrics".

Visually it is inspired by 1960s live television performances and the works of Alan Pakula made in collaboration with director of photography, Gordon Willis, specifically The Parallax View.

[13] For NME, Erica Campbell wrote, "[Body Paint] may conjure up all the stirring emotions from ‘TBH&C’ but the riveting track is proof that the band have no issue creating something otherworldly, even when the subject matter is far closer to earth.

[7] Matt Mitchell of Flood Magazine noted the track "Finds frontman Alex Turner exploring the open spaces of his own vocal range, opting for a lush falsetto mixed with a tenor croon draped in orchestral strings", and described "Body Paint" as "Anthemic and stadium-esque, as its slow-burn melodies transform suddenly into gigantic, pulsing guitars.

"[16] Robert Oliver of Metro found the song "featured the unexpected hallmarks of smooth soul acts from the 1970s: silky and sensual vocals from Alex Turner, lush and sweeping string flourishes, and an intimate and seductive rhythm section", and compared it to the earliest works of Minnie Riperton, The Stylistics, and Isaac Hayes.