[4] Music to Listen To... signalled a continuation of the more collaborative direction explored on Amo, the latter of which included features from Grimes and Dani Filth.

"[5] In a major departure from the band's previous works, Music to Listen To... largely eschews the use of guitars and traditional song structures.

[9] "¿" also features "one of the first things Jordan [Fish] ever wrote for the band", a lead sound used on the Sempiternal track "Can You Feel My Heart".

In a four-star review for NME, Ali Shutler called the release a "bold experiment" and described it as an "intense, occasionally confusing listen that definitely won't be for everyone, but [...] never feels like hard work".

[7] A less positive review from Sputnikmusic's Simon K. called the album "devoid of compositional structure, narrative and flow" and summarised it as a "drunken joke the band may well regret".

[9] AllMusic also criticised the release, stating that "as the tracks bleed one into the next, there isn't much here to grasp onto, outside of big moments that suddenly swell up and devour listeners".