Revival is primarily a dance-pop and electropop record, connected by a tropical beach sound, with lyrical themes revolving around love and confidence.

[6][7] Publications began to speculate her intent in fulfilling contractual obligations by releasing a final compilation album for her longtime label, Hollywood Records.

"[10] She later released her compilation album For You, representing her final project with Hollywood Records as Gomez officially announced her change in labels the following month.

[15] Gomez discussed that her new material would reflect upon the "journey" she experienced since 2013, with Christina Garibaldi from MTV News assuming her comments were referencing her former relationship with Justin Bieber, and a period spent in rehab in 2014, among other subjects.

Gomez stated that Revival offers insight into her perception of various experiences,[21] further elaborating on its themes of kindness, having faith, heartbreak, the "passion of a relationship" as well as "being [her] own person".

[24] She commented that her main influence for the record was Christina Aguilera, specifically her 2002 release Stripped, which she cites as an exemplar of a "complete" album and inspired her own decision to tell a story through Revival.

[27] Gomez began to record songs for Revival in December 2014,[28] revealing collaborations with producers Dreamlab and Ruffian and production team Stargate.

In an interview with Spin, Tranter revealed that their studio time was originally accommodated to "tweak" a different song, and the trio wrote "Good for You" in 45 minutes upon its completion.

Midway through the album's recording process, Gomez went on a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with Hit-Boy and a few members of his producing team, as well as Rock Mafia and songwriters Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels.

[23] According to Gomez, one of the main inspirations behind "Kill Em with Kindness" was the body-shaming she dealt with from the media, after photos surfaced online of her in a bikini during a trip to Mexico in April 2015.

"[23] Following the commercial success of "Good for You" as lead single treatment, Gomez decided to collaborate for an additional four days with Michaels and Tranter despite her label's instructions for the album to be mixed at the time.

Before the sessions began, Gomez felt that she had already addressed her desired themes for Revival, but wanted additional material that would be "fresh from a female perspective", which culminated in "Hands to Myself".

[45] It has a "warm, tropical beach-pop sound",[46] and as noted by AllMusic's Tim Sendra, "[it] veers away from the bubblegum nature of her early work or the genre-hopping aspects of other releases."

Steve Knopper of Newsday also highlighted that "[t]he album is frequently dark and ominous, full of torch songs, with just enough stylish electronic dance music synths and upbeat melodies to enliven the mood.

[51] It begins with a spoken-word introduction, where she says: "I'm reborn in every moment, so who knows what I'll become?," before singing "It's my time to butterfly," where "the word 'butterfly' serv[es] as both a state of being and an intransitive verb.

[45] The song offers positive advice for dealing with critics: instead of raising the proverbial middle finger, it suggests to take the high road and kill them with kindness.

[23][62][63] "Good for You" is an electro-R&B song,[51] with pendulum-swing rhythm, swirling keyboard atmospherics and affirming ASAP Rocky rap;[49] it also has Gomez "exploring her lower range and playing up the smokier edges of her speaking voice.

"[53] "Body Heat" brings Latin fusion with saxophone, horns and brass,[45][46][51] and was inspired by Mexican culture,[53] its lyrics regards sex,[51][63] while "Rise" is "an empowerment anthem encouraging perseverance and determination in tough moments.

[51] "Nobody" has syncopated beats, finger snaps, it also contains a synth flute and trip hop beats,[52][43][62] its lyrics and finds the singer paying tribute to her lover,[51] and as she claimed, it was written about her faith and connection with God,[53] "Perfect" is about "feeling downright obsessive as she wrestles with her man moving on to the next one,"[51] and Gomez admitted that the song is "very, very personal song, and it was extremely accurate.

[1] The track listing and alternate album art were revealed in September; the latter depicts a topless Gomez dressed in high-waisted black shorts with her hair and arms crossed over covering her breasts.

It was advertised as an advanced screening of her music video for "Same Old Love," although Gomez delivered a previously-unannounced performance of the song to the audience before revealing that they would be included in the final clip.

[112] Gomez was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live for the episode dated January 23, 2016, where she performed a medley of "Good for You" and "Same Old Love", as well as the full television debut of "Hands to Myself".

[114] Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos stated that "Revival is an audacious name for a 23-year-old singer's second album, but from start to finish, Gomez earns it," noting that "[t]his is the sound of a newly empowered pop artist growing into her strengths like never before.

"[46] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was very receptive, noting that "[s]ong for song, 'Revival' rivals Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Emotion' for breakout pop album of the year, but if it similarly falls short of greatness, it's due in large part to a lack of originality.

"[52] James Reed from Boston Globe opined that Revival is "a forthright album of pop songs that make it clear she is ready to be honest and even vulnerable in her music.

"[64] Mike Wass of Idolator agreed, calling it "an immaculately curated collection that showcases the 23-year-old's ability to genre-hop and experiment, while staying true to herself.

"[49] Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times praised the album for being "surprisingly modest, from its midtempo pacing to its thoughtful introspection," acknowledging the fact that "Gomez is finding freedom in control, kudos to her for getting there so quickly.

"[50] Writing for USA Today, Elysa Gardner noted that the album "is generally at its best when Gomez keeps her tone light and bright and her energy positive.

"[116] Tim Stack wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "[o]n her fifth album Gomez goes for mood-setting, and the result is "a gripping batch of sultry pop jams that are more 'Netflix and chill,' less 'Let's hit the curb,'" claiming that it is "as fresh and forward-thinking as the music of indie darlings Tove Lo and FKA twigs.

"[118] Christina Jaleru of The Washington Times was positive, commending it for "breez[ing] through to the finish line – the dance floor -with 11 nearly impeccable tracks that skip from the 1960s to the ‘80s to right this minute.