Differing from the sample-based techniques of Lopatin's 2011 album Replica which drew on lo-fi audio sources such as commercials from the 1980s and 1990s, the recording of R Plus Seven instead saw him work extensively with the synthetic sounds of MIDI instruments and presets, synth patches and VSTs.

[4] Regarding the sonic palette, he explained: I like to be manipulated by the sounds I'm using, and then struggle to find some sort of commonality with those things [...] When I play a pipe organ or have this like Hollywood choir at my disposal, it's going to tap into some kind of cliché matrix of ideas in my mind, and allow me to wrestle with it.

"[1] He stated that "there's a weird kind of innocence in this sound palette," comparing it to James Ferraro's 2011 album Far Side Virtual which similarly extensively incorporated digital instrumentation, but added that "Lopatin's music doesn't get hung up on irony, even though it's definitely in the mix.

"[9] Andy Battaglia of Rolling Stone described the album as being akin to "holy music, even if wholly weird," and compared it to the works of composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich in terms of rhythm and repetition.

Pitchfork described the video in an article dated September 25, 2013, as it being a piece that: [...] collects bizarre and disturbing low-grade internet footage—images of decrepit computer systems, strange anime art and characters posing for webcams, a few Furries, and more, bookended by clips of a man who looks like he's about to blast his own brains out.A final video for "Boring Angel", directed by American digital artist John Michael Boling, appeared in December 2013.

"[21] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork noted the album's conceptual merits but stated that "you don’t listen to this record thinking about theory; it’s beautiful stuff, with chords and tunes and sections you remember," concluding "R Plus Seven doesn’t have quite the disembodied weirdness of Replica, but it’s no less accomplished, another intriguing chapter from an artist whose work remains alive with possibility.

"[1] Marty Sartini Garner of Filter also compared the album to the artist's previous work: "R Plus Seven isn’t the masterpiece of technical error that its predecessor was; it’s the dissection of a heart.

"[11] Nevertheless, Louis Pattison of NME was mixed in his assessment of the record: "There are a few moments of elegant sensuality--like the tumbling, androgynous voices of 'He She'--but by and large it's like one of Jeff Koons' uber-kitsch sculptures: gleaming, opulent, but kinda hard to love.