"Vanished" has elements of dark pop, electro, disco, and nu-rave, and some critics felt it was lighter than other songs on the Crystal Castles album.

[3] Heather Phares of AllMusic said that the "danceable gloom" of the track evidenced the "remarkable amount of melancholy" that "haunts" the band.

[2] The duo recorded a music video for "Vanished" in April 2008 at the CiRCA superclub in downtown Toronto amidst their tour.

[10] However, a different video was released in November, recorded at the Union Pool in Brooklyn and directed by Derrick Beckles with the help of Vernon Chatman.

[4] Writing for Hotpress, Paul Nolan said that the track evidenced that Crystal Castles "[knows] how to rustle up a killer groove in their own right", it being "brilliantly crafted" and "guaranteed to get any dancefloor moving".

[12] The Skinny's Jason Morton praised the song's dark pop vibe, but said "the lack of gusto may not sit well with fans of previous singles".

[15] In 2014, Molly Beauchemin of Pitchfork named "Vanished" one of Crystal Castles' ten best songs, describing it as "a paradoxically dystopian message enveloped in palpating, nu-rave warmth".