Continent is an electropop album[2] that includes elements from a variety of genres, such as IDM,[3] balearic,[2] soft rock,[2] European synth-pop,[4] rave,[3] boogie,[5] house,[3][5] ambient,[6] lounge,[6] jazz,[6] and Italo disco.

"[8] Critic Zach Kelly wrote that some cuts on the album that have a melancholy or "ethereal, out-of-body" feel are "unapologetically svelte tunes jam-packed with cues taken from body-high inducing ambient atmospherics, beatific house loopings, 70s AM Easy Cheese, and bubbly Balearic turns.

"[8] A Tilt magazine critic highlighted Silver's experimental musical arrangement techniques on the album: "Subtle shifts in tempo will transition into the next track, What may have been a background pad will become the lead synth, Sudden switch-over from faint drums to a breathy latin percussion.

"[9] As Tim Sendra wrote, the record mostly has "lush synths, rubbery basslines, tinkling pianos, 4/4 beats, drifting ambient waves, and peaceful melodies throughout, as well as the occasional screaming guitar line and laid-back vocal.

"[11] Continent features a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Big Love," which increases the pace of the original source material[10] and includes what Ritter described as a "rare lead vocal" that's very low in volume in comparison with the other instruments in the mix.

[10] Finlayson jokingly wrote that there are tracks on Continent that "suggest the album title should have been pluralised;" an example he used was "Letters Home," which consists of strings instrument common in European dance music as well as Native American-esque pan flutes.

"[6] Tantum, writing for the New York edition of Time Out, called the record's songs "evocative tunes capable of summoning any range of emotions," praising Silver's arrangement skill on the tracks.

[9] Sendra praised Continent for its presence of Silver's "programming skills, his light touch, his knowledge of the styles, and his gift for concocting songs with melodies that stick in your ear.

"[2] He praised how Silver used nostalgic elements on the LP: "Where artists like Neon Indian or Washed Out rely on instant gratification to transport a listener back to specific time or feeling, CFCF's music is less concerned with arriving at a discernible destination than it is with detailing the journey.

"[8] He wrote in his review for Coke Machine Glow, "What separates CFCF's accomplished debut from other leisurely, ambient-ish electronic records is his dead-on pop sensibilities and the inexhaustible depth of his craft.