"[5] Oliver labeled Dunis' vocal performance as a "floating head swap of Lana Del Rey and Spalding Rockwell" and described the set of sounds produced by Coyes as "tropical[,] both of twinkling waters on pixel beaches and bone-dry tundra.

"[7] As he analyzed, "The longer [the sounds] go on, Peaking Lights’ paradise becomes a slow release of quicksand suffocating the ‘80s motifs and kitsch semantics, suckering you in with easy listening propositions before turning the tides.

"[5] The album was produced with a combination of Pro Tools and various analog equipment such as "cheap battery powered mics," a 1976 Soundcraft Series Two mixing console, an Otari MTR-12 tape machine, and a Yamaha four-track cassette recorder.

"[3] However, the duo's sadness from the results of the 2016 United States presidential election influenced them to keep working on the track and make it about blue aliens trying to overthrow an "orange creature" leading them.

"[3] Under the Radar claimed that with The Fifth State of Consciousness, "Peaking Lights continue to advance their sound by blurring genre lines and this time found a winning combination of hypnotic reggae beats, airy synths, and semi R&B grooves.

"[15] Irish music journalist Jim Carroll opined the LP consists of a "series of sounds that appears wonky and disembodied yet produces a satisfying and effective through-line.

[13][7] As Oliver stated, "the humidity rarely lets in any fresh air — certain tracks could do with their loops being curtailed, seemingly not knowing when to stop (‘Sweetness Isn’t Far Away’) — and lack of vocal variety (again, historically straight-laced) prompts the knock-on of making matters fuzzy and forgettable.