All Saints member Nicole Appleton and Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher were extensively portrayed in the British media as "the golden couple" of the 1990s music scene.

The track also resonated with the other All Saints members; Natalie Appleton admitted to crying during her first few listens of the song, while Melanie Blatt described it as a "fire analogy".

[2] Lewis wrote "One Strike" with Hutch, a new producer who she had taken notice of prior to the development of the song's parent album, Red Flag.

[10][14] Leading into the first verse, the production becomes less prominent, putting emphasis on the group's vocals and the lyrics which in this segment specifically detail the very moment Nicole found out about Gallagher's affair: "Stone cold / You wake me when the phone vibrates / Your voice sounds dulled, but loud enough to hear you.

[10] While Marina Hyde of The Guardian referred to it as a "divorce-court single",[19] and Harriet Gibsone from the same publication called it "a shrug of a shoulders, a nail-polish emoji".

[12] Anna Gaca of Spin magazine found the lyrics to be understated yet candid; "I don't want to be in this home / Broken promises, time to leave / I had everything that you need[ed]".

[20] It was premiered on BBC Radio 2's The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on 23 February 2016, and subsequently released three days ahead of schedule as an "instant grat" from digital pre-orders of the album.

[14] Similarly, Sarah Deen of Metro wrote: "It's classic All Saints – chilled out and melodic, but with feisty, meaningful lyrics and lovely harmonies.

"[24] Gibsone wrote that the song lived up to the group's legacy and likened it to their 2000 collaborations with producer William Orbit, explaining: "Next to Lana and Rihanna, it suits the current casual climate of pop in 2016.

[9] Mark Savage, music reporter for BBC News, echoed Daw's view saying the song featured "sun-kissed harmonies that instantly recall the band's 'Pure Shores' heyday".

[26] Noisey called the song "glorious" and a "triumphant comeback single", and claimed that the group's harmonies and dreamlike sound were what pop music had missed.

[27] The website went on to describe the track as "what Coldplay couldn't pull off at all with A Head Full of Dreams", "the chill out session to Little Mix's stomping workout" and "quite possibly, 2016's answer to 'Pure Shores'".

[27] Eleanor Margolis of the New Statesman commented, "You can pretty much smell the CK1 wafting off 'One Strike'", and described the song as "sort of like someone shook 'Pure Shores' out of the coma it went into when it did a dodgy E at Glasto".

"[34] Similarly, Justin Myers from the Official Charts Company opined, "The moody, atmospheric clip matches the vibe of the song", and concluded that it proved All Saints "still know where it's at".

[36] The Irish Examiner wrote that the video had a "definite 90s vibe",[30] while Jennifer Ruby of the London Evening Standard regarded it as "sticking with their trademark 90s style".