After the breakup of the band Yussef Kamaal, Williams sought to recreate the sounds of their 2016 album Black Focus with bassist Pete Martin, drummer Josh McKenzie and producer Richard Samuels.

[2] The album relies on improvisation based on the "rhythmic exchange" between Williams, bassist Pete Martin and drummer Josh "MckNasty" McKenzie.

[6] He additionally said that the band are capable of "dropping bass- and keyboard-heavy hooks, rhythm section motifs that sound like the intros, and hot mid-sections", similar to that of George Duke, Herbie Hancock, and Eddie Henderson.

[6] The album employs a "a more laid back, funk-soaked sound" in contrast to the "darker edge" of Black Focus, according to Angus McKeon of Clash.

[7] John Paul of PopMatters writes that "the album's back half tends to lessen the tempos and allow for greater washes of synth to blanket the incessant rhythmic prowess on display".

[8] The first track "Salaam" has "watery keys and a groove that starts slow before working itself up to a bustling climax"; as "MckNasty quickens the tempo, Martin strings together galloping phrases, and Williams begins making his own runs".

[23] Critics praised The Return for its recreation of jazz and funk sounds of the 1970s,[11][6] where Piotor Orlov of NPR writes: "Surrounded by a music scene constantly looking to invoke far-off traditions or break historically new ground, its goals seem comparatively conservative.

"[27] Dean van Nguyen of Pitchfork commented that "while Dayes' rasping drumming is missed, newly recruited percussionist MckNasty offers his own urbane rhythms.

[10] Will Hodgkinson writes that The Return "can dissolve into fiddly muso abstraction — the guitar solo on LDN Shuffle seems to be an attempt to play as many notes as possible — but with the gloriously bouncy Salaam and the space-age Aisha[…] this is ideal jazz for a summer's day.

"[10][9] Ben Devlin of MusicOMH wrote that the track "'LDN Shuffle' never quite justifies its own existence over its five-and-a-half minute run-time, but such noodling can be forgiven to an extent on an album that is more about groove than melody".

Bleep ranked The Return at number 6 on its year end list, with the staff commending its "rich tapestry of visionary jazz woven together with the sounds and signals of South London Streets" and called it "one of the most exciting musical movements 2018 has witnessed".

[28] The album was ranked at number 8 by Complex magazine, with Chantelle Fiddy writing that it "provided a backdrop for an increasingly diverse listenership seeking respite and something real in this tech-compressed hectic old world we find ourselves in".