[10] Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that Nothing's Real "boasts richer songwriting and wider-ranging sounds than might have been expected", concluding that the album "marks Shura as the kind of smart pop star the 2010s need.

"[11] Rob Mesure of musicOMH called the album "beautifully constructed" and stated, "The sound might be '80s, but this is undeniably now, and Shura a new star in 2016's increasingly bible-black night.

"[16] Lisa Henderson of Clash opined, "Previously heard tracks still stand up as pop juggernauts but there's an obvious growth that has happened during the two-year wait; sonically and lyrically, Shura is at her most urgent and incisive.

[1] Joe Levy of Rolling Stone dubbed the album "a tangle of glam and glum" and wrote that Shura's videos "make clear the subjects of these songs ['What's It Gonna Be?

"[19] Hannah J. Davies of Q magazine expressed, "Avoiding the abstract experimentalism of her sample-heavy single 'The Space Tapes', she gives a fine display of how to be both retro and radio-friendly.