[1] The presence of a variety of keyboards on almost every track was something new for the band, with lead singer Alex Turner recording all of them himself with the exception of the album's singles, which were handled by session and touring keyboardist John Ashton.

While being interviewed for the BBC's The Culture Show, Turner and Matt Helders cited Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Jake Thackray, John Cale, Nick Cave, Roky Erickson and the Beatles as influences on the recording of the album.

[1] Robin Murray of Clash notes that a "spooky carnivalesque atmosphere permeates the album; there’s the recurring waltzer organ, the circus-like marching drums, and of course the bellowing ringmaster, luring us all into the dark and devilish delights of what’s in store.

[7] According to Mike Driver in his BBC Music review, "Humbug embraces the true nature of album-craft by sequencing ten tracks in such a way that coherence and consistency bind constituent pieces into a single, enjoyably sombre whole.

"[9] Driver also notes that "Kitchen-sink realism poetry’s replaced by rampant analogies, characters of the everyday transformed into otherworldly denizens with wicked intentions.

Turner still spills syllables rather too swiftly at times [...] but largely a slow-and-steady approach prevails, mirrored by the music’s assured shuffle.

[15][23][24] During this performance, they played a number of songs from Humbug, plus older tracks and a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Red Right Hand".

"[38] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes.

"[39] John Mulvey of Uncut felt that "Homme's role as producer, perhaps, has been to nurture the soundscaping that was attempted on Humbug's predecessor, and, critically, to encourage a sense of space and stealth.

"[40] In his positive review of the album, Joe Tangari of Pitchfork noted that "Humbug isn't better than either of its predecessors, but it expands the group's range and makes me curious where it might go next.

Although he found it overall wasn't as accessible as its two predecessors, he noted that the band were beginning to push their limits in regards to creativity, and composing music carefree of whether or not they were successful in America.

"[30] In retrospect, Humbug has been considered a very important piece in Arctic Monkeys' catalogue, having introduced a variety of new styles and themes, both lyrically and musically, to the band, that they have expanded on since its release.

In an NME article, Mike Williams writes, "If Arctic Monkeys had never walked into the desert with Josh Homme to record 'Humbug' in 2009, they could never have made 'AM'.

While both acknowledged the album's position in the band's discography, NME nevertheless stated: "in retrospect, it feels more like an important bridge between the youthful vim of old and the meatier material that would come than a destination.