Musically, it is a downtempo pop song that Styrke sings with whispered and falsetto vocals over a production consisting of a minimal beat and bird calls.

[12][15] Music critics described the production as minimalistic and "airy",[14][12][16] whereas NME writer Hannah Mylrea characterized it as "stripped back".

[9][10] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters noted the singer's change of pitch and a "stretching" of her voice, writing that Styrke "speeds up and slows down her phrasing as if answering her own interpretations of what she's felt and observed".

"[21] Matthew Kent of The Line of Best Fit wrote that the song "details the frustration and lack of freedom experienced when a relationship is kept under wraps".

[23] "On the Low" ends with an echo where the sounds of the bird calls are isolated, which Margaret Farrell of Pitchfork interpreted as a metaphor for desire.

[9] Farrell wrote that the closing bird calls transform "Styrke's lonely cave into her very own Garden of Eden, where temptation isn't taboo".

[24] She also performed the song live while serving as the opening act for New Zealand singer Lorde on the Melodrama World Tour in the spring of 2018.

[33] Styrke learnt how to play the guitar in the weeks leading up to the performance, which also included a cover of Benee and Gus Dapperton's 2019 song "Supalonely".

At the time of its release, Kent of The Line of Best Fit gave the track a "Song of the Day" designation, writing, "An outlier in terms of the music we've heard from Sway thus far, it's a refreshing reminder that Styrke can do anything.

"[23] TT News Agency writer Sara Haldert regarded "On the Low" a "playful, charming, and professional" song.

[11] Mylrea, writing for NME, deemed the song "expertly crafted" and highlighted Styrke's whispered vocals.

[26] Kish Lal of The Sydney Morning Herald described the single as a "safe bet", commenting that "Styrke's husky whispering work[s] well against minimal downtempo pop beats".

[14] Per Magnusson of Aftonbladet felt that "On the Low" showcased Styrke's "pop star potential", writing that the singer managed to adhere to commercial appeal and be different at the same time.

He wrote, "'On the Low' was a single that flopped everywhere ... but it's a huge hit in my head, a perfect storm of robot sad-girl synth hiccups.