Author Trevor Baker, in his book Richard Ashcroft – The Verve, Burning Money & The Human Condition (2008), said this made the public think that the reported breakup was nothing more than a method to get guitarist Nick McCabe out of the band.

[33] Best was occupied managing three separate companies and was unable to fulfil Ashcroft's desire to be his main priority as he was busy working with vocalists Brett Anderson from Suede and Jarvis Cocker from Pulp.

[65] Author Velimir Ilic noted in his book The Verve: Mad Urban Soul (1997) that mid-tempo compositions that owed their debts to Roxy Music, alongside giving it references, points to the likes of Astral Weeks (1968) by Van Morrison, The Wall (1979) by Pink Floyd, and Exile on Main St. (1972) by the Rolling Stones.

[71] Baker said a difference was noticeable in the material Ashcroft wrote before, like "The Drugs Don't Work", and after marrying Radley, with "Sonnet" and "Lucky Man" touching on contentment in the music.

He gave the string section in "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as an example, stating that if the prior releases from the band "had worn jeans and a t-shirt, this one was dressed up like James Bond.

"[58] Author Philip Wilding, in his book The Verve: Bitter Sweet (1998), remarked that the album sounded as if it were from a different decade than it was released in, highlighting the elements of psychedelia, the loud–quiet dynamic, and Ashcroft's boisterous taunting.

"[70] Egan said one thematic element of the album stemmed from Ashcroft witnessing that they lacked "one 'self', that they are so complex as to make the notion of a single self ridiculous (hence 'I'm a million different people from one day to the next,' from 'Bitter Sweet Symphony').

[39] The final album version merged Britpop with boom bap,[86] backed by a trip hop beat,[87] with vocals that were layered in order to make it appear like an angelic choir.

It lacked any form of chorus section or hook, serving as an extended outro, with Ashcroft's voice being placed lower in the mix while McCabe can be heard contributing ambient guitar parts,[102] recalling the work of Jeff Buckley.

[102] "Space and Time" and "Weeping Willow" showcase the band aping the sound of U2, a direction that Ryan Leas of Stereogum commented was not previously possible because of the Verve's former tendency to use lots of guitars altered by effects units.

"[107] He added that it also refers to Ashcroft talking about artists that involve themselves in drama "of the raging elements", while other lyrics of the song detail individuals being unable to find the happiness they experienced when they were children.

[108] Egan reasoned that the phrase was not intended to be said negatively, instead serving as an extension of the song itself: "linked to the galvanising nature of the instrumentation, a 'fuck you' of joy shouted by a man riding on a sea of raging guitars.

Virgin's vice chairman Nancy Berry contacted Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, both of whom wrote "The Last Time", and played them "Bitter Sweet Symphony".

[135] Baker remarked that while Nelson appeared to be lost in her thoughts, Ashcroft had "more belligerence and aggression" time, accurately depicting his "single-mindedness, not to mention his ability to brush aside people who got in his way or who couldn't keep up.

[142] Support for the US airplay came from music publicist Scott Piering;[96] MTV writer Chris Nelson said the track was a leftfield choice as radio stations were enamoured with the ska revival and summer-themed songs from the likes of Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray,[143] in addition to post-grunge.

[159] Despite their reluctance,[160] "Sonnet" was released as a single on 2 March 1998,[161] albeit in a format that made it ineligible for charting: a collection of four 12-inch vinyl records with the song and its B-sides, "Stamped", "So Sister", and "Echo Bass", spread across each disc.

[145] After another month's break, the Verve embarked on a US tour; around this time, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" became a hit in the country, with its success owed to MTV for keeping the video in constant rotation.

Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni said that the band's decision to play larger venues in the country was seemingly ambitious, noting that they were more popular in the UK and suggesting that they had a British mindset when securing US dates.

"[120] Mojo writer John McCready did not like the band beforehand but was won over by Urban Hymns, largely in part to Ashcroft's earnestness as a lyricist, suppling listeners with their demand for music to "express some universal humanity".

Boca Raton News writer Ben Wener wrote that the Verve understood the urge to take inspiration from the past instead of outright copying an artist's work, unlike Oasis.

[111] He said that there was an unspoken mandate about having to find the superior tracks after suffering through the more difficult ones, adding that Urban Hymns was a release of exceptional "beauty so intent on grabbing at the strands of music's multi-hued history; so bloody-minded in its need to make its mark that it turns that tapestry into epic film in full-blown technicolour and sensurround sound with a scratch'n'sniff blotting paper thrown in for good measure.

"[78] The Sydney Morning Herald's Bernard Zuel saw Urban Hymns as a "more organic, more simpleminded (in a non-pejorative sense)" counterpart to OK Computer (1997) by Radiohead and noted that they used the "we-have-strings-and-we-know-how-to-use-them approach" set by Oasis, giving the material a "strangely vibrant melancholy.

"[222] Klaus Winninger of Der Spiegel found that the "quality and appeal of the remaining eleven songs" did not live up to the first two singles, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "The Drugs Don't Work", adding that "Lucky Man", for example, seemed out of place on the album.

AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the band had softened their psychedelic edge without leaving it beyond, making themselves "sound more muscular than before," highlighting "Catching the Butterfly" and Come On" as examples.

[86] Paul Moody of Classic Rock wrote that the album could still throw a punch, mostly because of McCabe's parts on the songs, highlighting his playing as enhancing "Catching the Butterfly", "Lucky Man", and "Neon Wilderness".

[233] McCabe's role was most prominent on "The Rolling People", "Neon Wilderness", and "Come On", which The Line of Best Fit writer Joe Goggins dubbed epics in the vein of A Storm in Heaven.

"[234] Erlewine said that despite the material earmarked for an Ashcroft solo act, the album "unmistakably sounds like the work of a full band, with its sweeping, grandiose soundscapes and sense of purpose.

[nb 11] FasterLouder ranked Urban Hymns at number 32 in its all-time overrated albums list, where writer Jody Macgregor claimed people bought it on the basis of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and realised the rest of the material was not as strong as that song.

[317] "The Drugs Don't Work" topped the UK Singles Chart[97] and was knocked off the position the following week by "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John due to the death of Princess Diana.

[43] Stephen Hill of Louder said Urban Hymns, alongside OK Computer, as leading to the end of Britpop, explaining that it had "phenomenal dexterity, depth, honesty and complexity that Stella-swigging, bucket hat wearing, chirpy Brit-Pop couldn't stand a chance next to it.