toby knapp of iheartradio concluded that "never really over" was the right decision for the musical return of perry, by saying, "this song is so desperately needed right now on music radio stations which haven't had some form of what i'd call a pure-pop-down-the-middle song like this for a while." hugh mcintyre of "forbes" noted that the song "stands out in today's musical landscape while not pushing anyone too far into uncharted territory" and "could help vault [perry] back to her former glory." craig jenkins of vulture also felt "never really over" was a "slight return to the motivational fare katy perry's best at." he also hailed perry's vocal performance as "more confident and challenging". robin murray from "clash" called the song a "bold, colourful return".