"Bad Blood" premiered on BBC Radio 1 programme Annie Mac. On behalf of Mixmag, Chantelle Fiddy highlighted Nao's vocal performance and appraised the production as "edgy and original".[1] Robin Murray of Clash wrote it was a "stunning fusion of old and new".[2] Dubbing the song "woozy", Now reviewer Matt Williams opined, "Her stutter-and-run, drawn-out 'cuckoo' on the woozy Bad Blood is one of those moments you wait for every time you hear [it]."[3]