[7] Speaking to TeamRock, vocalist Oliver Sykes has explained that the hook "True Friends stab you in the front" is based on a quote credited to Irish playwright Oscar Wilde.

"[8] In a track-by-track commentary of That's the Spirit for Spotify, the frontman added that "True Friends" is about "coming to peace with [anger] ... [and] letting those people know that I can forget but never forgive".

[9] In his review of That's the Spirit, David Renshaw for the NME claimed that on "True Friends", Sykes "maintains a sense of paranoia and emotional vulnerability amid the cavernous sounds".

[12] Described as a "murder mystery revolving around a family" by TeamRock's Luke Morton,[8] it features a story which "centers on a detective (Steve Oram) who is being haunted by his own past misdeeds".

[16] Emmy Mack of Music Feeds claimed that "True Friends" was "bordering dangerously on emo", as well as describing it as the track which is closest to the post-hardcore genre on the album.

[17] On the other hand, AllMusic's James Christopher Monger criticised the main hook of the song, which he described as a "second-hand embarrassment-inducing" lyric.