After becoming dissatisfied with the electronic dance music of his prior discography, Robinson decided to alter his style to prioritize aesthetic and emotional qualities in his work.

[8] Robinson stated that his record label Astralwerks intended to release "Shepherdess",[a] which he felt was the "most EDM thing" he had recently created, as the lead single.

However, he decided to release "Sea of Voices" "out of the blue"[7] to inspire interest and conversation about his change in style instead of creating an extensive marketing campaign, which he felt would "[turn] people off".

[12] Billboard's Zel McCarthy and Elissa Stolman, writing for Vice, noted that "Sea of Voices" represents a significant divergence from Robinson's prior work.

[16] AllMusic's Andy Kellman noted that the first three minutes are "nothing but softly swelling strings, wind chimes, and Breanne Düren's distantly cooing voice",[13] and Garrett Kamps of Spin felt that Robinson had "really earned that huge build" in the context of Worlds's tracklist.

[17] Mason noted a subsequent "intergalactic downbeat release" at the chorus,[1] which AXS's Lucas Villa writes "[submerges] the listener" into the track's "beauty".

"[20] In April 2021, Robinson released the song "Unfold" in collaboration with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs as a single preceding his studio album Nurture.