[1] The move from her urban life in New York City to the Catskills is reflected in the album's title, as King felt she needed a "change of scenery".

"[1][4] "Can't Hold Me" features South Asian percussion, guitar licks and "velvety" synths[4] The quiet storm song "Blue Light" sees King "surrounded by waves of backing vocals" and "swelling Disney-like strings"[3] "Forgiveness" is an electro-ballad that "glides with the same restraint and class as Sade’s most rewarding songs".

[5][4] The acoustic jazz of "Caliche" tells "a story about being lost in life, paired with Most’s exotic production: complex rhythms, hushed vocals and whoops and hollers in the distance, like the sombre flip side to Lionel Richie’s All Night Long.

He wrote that the album "refines the seemingly instinctive and contemporary hybrid sound of 2015's The Switch with more mature pop informed by traditional singer/songwriters, classic R&B into the post-disco era, the high-tech end of mid-'80s top 40 radio, and even a little gospel.

"[1] Pitchfork's Maggie Lange foung that the "album maps life's changes to sleek, vibrant R&B that's packed with 1980s soundtrack flourishes and big moments; it's the perfect frame for her extraordinary voice.

found that "with Scenery, [King] makes a statement [...] The 12-track project comes ever-so-close to its intended level of sublime, yet plays things on the safe side: pleasant, powerful, precise.

She adds magic to the mundane, cracking it open to reveal multifaceted nuances: longing, pleasure, resentment, jealousy and also self-love.