"Although intriguing within themselves, these songs don't always work alongside each other. The sparse and shadowy Chic cover "Good Times" feels confusing following an art rock song like "Halo of Fire," and Ainsworth's more Celtic, voice-led melodies in the second half of the album are a difficult transition from the smooth, rhythmic '90s pop sound of the first half. Sparkles & Debris is Ainsworth's most enthusiastically genre-bending album to date, and it's as occasionally fractured as that distinction would suggest. But Ainsworth's distinct, gossamer voice welds it together: Regardless of production style, she is always at the front, weaving, tying down airy vocal runs with low whispers, pushing things to feel softer and more rare".