The title track samples Kelis' "Caught Out There" and Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?". Pitchfork described the track as "modern homage to old ideas" as Blake "[took] two R&B archetypes ... and imagines them in a back and forth." On the track, Blake sings normally and also occasionally uses a vocoder to process his voice.[2] The track is influenced by 1990s rave pop and also contains synthesizers.[3] The following song, "Footnotes" also has Blake using the vocoder, but the song is hymnal and contains "gospel chords".[4] It is a minimalistic track; it uses slight noises to create an "atmospheric" sound.[5]
The next song "I'll Stay" has been described as the "warmest, most accessible track of [CMYK]".[5] It is also hymnal, but it contains a call and response with repeated, high-pitched synthesizers. The final track, "Postpone" has been likened to a "lumbering requiem before transforming into lumbering exultation."[4] It features electronic beats, "hip hop choruses", and "triumphant" horns.[3]
The EP received generally positive reviews from music critics. Mike Powell of Pitchfork complimented how Blake used the samples in his music, and gave the EP a score of 8.3 out of 10.[2]Fact named "Postpone" as the highlight of CMYK, and called the EP "the most anthemic thing Blake's done to date." In the review, the EP received 4 out of 5 "records", and the reviewer stated that he was "sold [on Blake's music]."[6]
Sam Louis of Resident Advisor gave CMYK 4 out of 5 stars and stated that "Blake underpins nearly everything here with those comfortable blankets, wrapping you up while he makes you consider dancing." He also wrote "[Blake] clearly also knows that a little bit of subtlety can go a long way", and that "[his songs are] just as emotionally affecting, squeezing pathos out a single line from Kelis and warm, deep chords."[4]Pitchfork later named CMYK the eighth best album of the year, along with The Bells Sketch EP and Klavierwerke EP; the website applauded how Blake released so much material in a year.[7] It also included "CMYK" on its list of the 200 Best Songs of the 2010s.[8]
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