[1] Uncut commented that Grant is "best on matters of the heart: 'Father' is a spectral journey to a lost 1970s of family intimacy and may be the most affecting song yet in a catalogue stuffed with heartbreakers".

[6] Mojo felt that "with aid of latter-day Grace Jones producer Ivor Guest, his upbeat tendencies manifest in talk box-voiced electronic funk (think Roger Troutman/Zapp) that is more flattering, particularly when matched to the singer's biting wit on 'All That School' and the MAGA-bashing 'Meek AF'".

[5] Chris Todd of The Line of Best Fit called it "one of Grant's richest & most satisfying sounding albums thus far" on which he "embraces his love of eighties IBM/EBM music and kitchen sink gothery from the likes of Soft Cell, alongside the end-of-the-world electronica of Throbbing Gristle".

[4] DIY's Lisa Wright described The Art of the Lie as "a record musically cleaved in two" with "twitchy 'hits' – the '80s, vocoder-doused funk strut of opener 'All That School for Nothing', or the sassy wobbles of lead single 'It's a Bitch' – but they're directly juxtaposed with moments of total devastation".

[3] Reviewing the album for Clash, Luke Winstanley concluded that it is "a perfect distillation of everything one yearns for in John Grant's music; his golden baritone voice, icy electronic soundscapes, emotive balladry, sumptuous funk and phenomenal diction".