It marked a distinct turning point for Small Faces' career, being their first single to deliberately venture into psychedelia, though they had previously done that on a few album tracks for Decca.

The song is also known for its distinct outro, which was done through electro-mechanical studio processes, similar to how the band would experiment with flanging on their follow-up single "Itchycoo Park", which was released shortly after.

By 1967, popular musical genres had started changing,[2][3] and Small Faces' initially strong mod following had begun decreasing as a result.

[7] At the residence, Epstein passed orange slices on a plate around to the various band members, who all accepted them, with the exception of drummer Kenney Jones.

[12] The reason was because although he had given them a salary of £20 a week,[13][14] along with accounts at Carnaby Street clothing stores,[15][16] Small Faces failed to see income from performances or royalties from any of their singles.

[21] However, hope came when Andrew Loog Oldham's label Immediate Records decided to buy Small Faces' contract for £25 000 from Decca,[4] which was announced on 11 February 1967 in a New Musical Express article.

[32] Although it was called a psychedelic pop song by AllMusic critic Lindsay Planer, Hewitt and Hellier identified it as a "swaggering soul-pop" record that contains trademarks of their earlier music.

[25][33] Bruce Eder of AllMusic attributes this to the increased amount of studio time that they had received after signing Immediate, which eventually "loosened" their sound.

[36] "Here Comes the Nice" has also been noted for its innovative ending – instead of the customary fade out, it uses a combination of studio effects to simulate the inevitable "come-down" from the speed "high".

[25] The song, comparable to the music they made in 1966,[27][44] was quickly publicly denounced by Small Faces; similarly to "I Can't Make It", they did not promote it.

[25] The release of "Here Come the Nice" came to be a tense moment for Small Faces, as the BBC had banned "I Can't Make It" for unknown reasons,[46] which led to a sense of uncertainty regarding the single.

[47][nb 5] However, the single managed to bypass the censors,[49] something that Hewitt and Hellier attributed to guilt,[45] while Jones believed it slipped through Mary Whitehouse.

[31] In doing this, "Here Come the Nice" managed to reach the UK Singles Chart, entering on 14 June 1967 at a position of 37;[50] it peaked at number 12 on 11 July.

[62][63] In the UK, the song first appeared on an LP when it was included on the soundtrack of Tonite Lets All Make Love in London on 18 July 1968.

In the magazine's 3 June 1967 issue, New Musical Express critic Derek Johnson stated that unlike previous singles, it is more subdued with a good melody along with great harmonies, noting the blues influenced sound, while also liking the ending to the song.

[70] Chris Hayes from Melody Maker said that the song had a great chance of reaching the top 10, noting McLagan's organ, while simultaneously noticing the band members have retained their personalities, despite a shift in genres.

[72] Peter Jones of Record Mirror thought the song has a "[l]ight-edged vocal line", which then builds up to "Marriott bluesily selling over the group backing".

[77] Retrospectively, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called "Here Come the Nice", along with "Itchycoo Park" and "Tin Soldier", the best singles the band recorded.

While Jones stated that it was recorded and released during a time period in which their compositions became meaningful, he "bracketed" the song together with "Tin Soldier" due to them having similar arrangements.

[82] Upon signing with Immediate, Marriott suggested for the band the Little People to change their name to the Nice, which Oldham turned down, considering it rubbish.

[37] The subtle drug references have led to both the Rich Kids recording "Here Come the Nice" that features Midge Ure and Glen Matlock for the B-side of their single "Marching Men" in 1978,[87] and Noel Gallagher performing the song live with Paul Weller.