[1] On August 3, 2023, Hunt released the lead single "Emergency Contact", a "summery power pop jolt" with "knockout hooks, squiggly guitar solo and toy percussion".

The song features a "structured looseness" comparable to the works of early Beck, including a "rubbery and melodic" bass line and a prominent "acoustic breakdown halfway in".

[5] Lizzie Manno of Stereogum chose Try Not to Laugh as their "album of the week", revering Hunt a pioneer in contemporary "independent power pop".

Hunt takes the listener on a "smart and unexpected" ride through "decades of guitar pop" without drifting off into "cloying melodies or stale lyricism".

Manno opines that Hunt further proves to be a "clever writer" on the album, assembling "pleasant pop melodies" with a "a literary eye" and "late-capitalist cynicism".