This included Caroline Sullivan, writing for The Guardian, who found some of the content too similar to other bands but praised the minor intricacies in tracks like "Chloe", "Spun" and "Naked Kids": "What it lacks in originality it makes up for in sweet vibes, which may not keep Grouplove going for ever [sic], but is enough for the moment.

[2] On the positive side, AllMusic journalist Matt Colla praised the band's musicianship for being technically sound and expressive in its genre-mashing, concluding that "Ultimately, Grouplove's Never Trust a Happy Song is a cohesive if ramshackle crowd-pleaser, full of melodic double-lead vocals, handclaps, ringing electric guitars, and staccato synth parts that tips a hat to '80s dance-rock while still retaining the band's obvious love of experimental '60s folk-rock.

"[3] David Menconi of Spin praised the album's production for carrying exuberant energy to match its happy-go-lucky content, saying that "For all its youthful pathos, Never Trust a Happy Song evokes pop colors bright enough to glow at tempos just short of manic -- even "Slow" doesn't stay that way for long.

"[7] Drowned in Sound's Robert Cooke felt there was moments on the album that showed the band's potential, but it was ruined by the jumbling of different genres and questionable instrumentation choices throughout the songs.

[5] The harshest review came from James Parker, who wrote for Tiny Mix Tapes; he heavily criticized the band's upbeat, sunny demeanor for being an "indie equivalent" to mainstream pop hits and said that it only catered to hipster parties, concluding that "Considering what this record’s meant to be doing, then, you could reasonably argue that it does it pretty well.