[7] On 28 May, the day after the festival ended, Emma de Caunes, the wife of Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett, confirmed the album's release via Instagram.

[10] In a Radio X interview, Albarn said the album was produced within a short time so the band would have new material to play at upcoming festivals.

[9][11] Albarn credited producer James Ford for extensively contributing to the album's lyrical cohesion, saying; "If this record makes any more sense, it's entirely down to him, not me".

[11][12] According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, The Now Now includes elements of 1980s new wave and "yacht soul", which suggest the influence of disco and old-school hip-hop in Albarn's songwriting.

[14] Clash magazine described its songs as "slick, mutant funk",[15] while Drowned in Sound noted a "breezy synth-pop style" that it compared with Gorillaz' earlier album Plastic Beach.

[16] NME's Thomas Smith called Albarn's lyrics "more introspective" as a result of "[moving] away" from the "bad influences" of 2017's Humanz.

[18] Corbin Reid of Uproxx said, "Stuttering synth melodies lock into and swirl around an impressive collection of different and varying drum patterns.

[19] Lily Moayeri from Under the Radar said many of the lyrics are "set in or devoted to the city of Los Angeles", adding "The Now Now gives off the impression of a tour diary".

[20] Finn from DIY called the album "A more spaced-out affair, stripped of its star-studded collaborations and bathed in the apparent apathy of the modern age".

[28] "Humility" had been announced the previous day;[22] it was released with a music video, in which the fictional lead singer of Gorillaz, 2-D is seen roller-skating around Venice Beach.

Favourably commenting on the new-found coherence reminiscent of The Fall, Drowned in Sound's Duncan Conrad noted the "radically shortened guest list" and the "written-on-the-road simplicity" that are more akin to the band's 2010 fan club giveaway than the "over-stuffed" Humanz.

According to NME, The Now Now consists of "11 pop tracks that zip with energy, passion and an abundance of ideas",[17] Rolling Stone called it "optimistic by [Albarn's] usual standards".

[46] Drowned in Sound called it a "disappointingly minor album, low on standout songs and big ideas", and lacking the band's trademark experimentation.

[49] All tracks are written by Damon Albarn, alongside any featured artists, and produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, and Remi Kabaka.