The singer said that after listening to some of the material he had recorded for his debut album, he wanted to add "a bit more grit, funk and heavier bass."

"[5][6] "Slow Hands" is a bass-heavy funk-pop, pop and folk-pop song, with Horan singing in a lower register.

[11] In Billboard, Taylor Weatherby noted "Slow Hands" focuses on a "funkier guitar vibe", compared to Horan's previous single "This Town."

"[12] Colin Stutz from the publication, added, "The combination of a thumping beat and Horan's raspy vocals makes the song hardly even sound like the same guy who sang ["This Town"].

But what "Slow Hands" shows is that Horan definitely won't just be sticking to the sweet singer-songwriter sound on his solo debut.

"[5] In The Irish Times, Jennifer Gannon wrote that "it’s no radical departure, Niall hasn’t decided to go Gaga but it’s a step in a more Sheeran-style, crowd-pleasing direction.

"[13] Billboard's critics' list placed it second on "Every One Direction Solo Single, Ranked" in May 2017, stating that the "secret" highlight "[is] the way Niall's vocal on the first verse is ever so discretely chopped on the recording to a clipped staccato, a mysterious move that forces the singer into a less-is-more delivery that ends up being much more indeed.