 Music commentators characterized lead singer Wyatt's vocals as "sex-less" and "vaguely androgynous", while the chorus features "bubbly" backing vocals.Some critics noted "Paddling Out" melancholic lyrics, and Ailbhe Malone of "NME" observed that it includes a "big beat bounce" and "sing-along melancholy".The chorus begins with the lyric "There's someone here who laughs too hard at everything", followed by the lines "You say isn't it hard / Paddling out, paddling out".