[14] "Hang On", co-written by Rick Nowels, features Canadian actor Michael Cera on backing vocals and mandolin.

[13] The album's closer, "Time Flies", co-written by country singer and songwriter Mac Davis,[15] features a lo-fi, folk-country sound, while also being compared to the music of Led Zeppelin.

The album's cover is a picture of American actor Jorge Garcia, who portrayed Hugo "Hurley" Reyes on the television series Lost from 2004 to 2010.

The band used many of the popular channels to promote themselves, such as Barely Political, Tay Zonday, Dave Days, Magic Hugs, Fred Figglehorn, Ray William Johnson, and Annoying Orange.

[20][21] The Gregory Brothers solicited musical and vocal contributions from the band on one of its signature topical compositions—built around melodically enhanced speeches by Representative Charles Rangel and President Obama.

Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound wrote "From the get-go, Hurley feels more personal and at heart than anything on Raditude".

"[30] The New York Times writer Jon Caramanica regards it as "the group’s strongest album in recent years.

"[37] Adam Thomas at Sputnikmusic considered it an improvement over the band's previous three albums, saying "Hurley proves that Rivers still has some gas left in the tank.

"[38] Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly regarded it as a "...terrific rebound, a blast of sonic sweetness that finds the band integrating '60s pop influences".

[28] At AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted "Sometimes, the quirks become overwhelming...but usually the melodies and riffs are clean, simple, and powerful, hooking immediately and sticking around for a while.