Whereas Sam Sparro was primarily a dance-pop and electropop album, Return to Paradise is influenced by disco, especially '90s house.

Sparro's old friend Felix Bloxsom, who he went to school with in Sydney, is featured on drums on multiple tracks from the album, and produced the Plastic Plates Remix of "Shades of Grey", which was later included on Re-Return to Paradise.

Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast sang backing vocals for and co-wrote "Yellow Orange Rays".

He went on to say, "Sparro imbues each of these songs with an intensity, passion, and palpable love that shines through even when he's singing about heartbreak and negativity.

"[6] At The Independent, music journalist Simon Price was critical of Return to Paradise noting "the Australian electro-soul auteur's second album is a patchy affair which too often fails to transcend its blatant P-funk influences.