The album includes collaborations with Ellie Goulding, Gwen Stefani, John Newman, Tinashe, Big Sean, Alesso, R3hab, Ummet Ozcan, Firebeatz, Hurts, Haim and All About She.

[3] On 5 October, Harris took to Twitter to announce a list of collaborators on the album, including Ellie Goulding, Ummet Ozcan, Big Sean, R3hab, Gwen Stefani, Haim, Tinashe and All About She.

[4] "Under Control", a collaborative track with Swedish DJ Alesso and English duo Hurts, was released on 7 October 2013 as the first single from Motion.

[1] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The best tracks on Motion [...] focus more on high-caliber vocals than on booty-blasting low end", adding that Harris's "largely straight-ahead approach will rankle EDM devotees who are searching for boundary-busting beats, but he's taking his chances with the most unpredictable technology of all: the human voice.

Wood also praised the guest appearances of Gwen Stefani and Haim, stating that "the presence of those strong women does wonders for Harris' amped-up music.

"[42] At Billboard, Megan Buerger commented that although the album is "packed with all-too-predictable crowd-pleasers", it "also has a few surprises [...] that suggest [Harris is] a more dynamic producer than he lets on, one with a true appreciation of dance music's purer forms.

"[35] Despite noting that "there are occasional surprises" on the album, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian concluded, "The big pop hooks and breakdowns are here, but there is little sense of Harris's personality.

"[37] AllMusic's Heather Phares was unimpressed, writing, "Despite a few bright moments, Motion is disappointingly bland—especially since Harris has made plenty of memorable electro-pop before and after his EDM makeover.

"[34] Similarly, Brent Faulkner of PopMatters found Motion to be "somewhat of a scattered album with some shining moments", but wrote that "Harris' production is sound and the material is pleasant if nothing more.

"[39] Nick Murray of Rolling Stone expressed that "Harris is updating his EDM template rather than coming close to reimagining it", while citing "It Was You", "Dollar Signs" and "Summer" as "the kind of superglossy, unexceptionally fun tunes that kids will dance to and rebel against in equal numbers.

"[40] Slant Magazine's James Rainis complimented songs like "Blame" and "Together", but criticised "Faith" and "Open Wide", commenting, "Regrettably, such ear candy [as 'Blame'] is few and far between.