sarah montgomery of "the fader" referred "split stones" to a "dance-y, pop song" that "takes samples from outdoor excursions and is inspired by nature in the same way 'alaska' was". lisa nguyen of "paste" called it an "invigorating track" and felt it "offers encouraging lyrics, using the singer's melodically husky voice and rhythmic instrumentals as a vehicle". chris deville of "stereogum" wrote that the song features "an electronic backbeat that wallops with more force than usual", and opined that "the chorus sounds very big and is really pretty". caitlin white of "uproxx" noted that she "fell for [the song] immediately" after unlocking it through the marketing campaign. eve barlow of "pitchfork" wrote: "despite its organic origins, it is more of a dance number, and is structured like a house track, even though it doesn't really sound anything like one."