"The many guests on Young Hunger prevent the album from getting too bogged down in schmaltz, adding color and texture to the record ... It's as though Manuel's afraid to let his numerous contributors take the spotlight, too often cluttering their voices with synthesizer effects. These flourishes generally add up to a record that's, as Manuel suggests, "good in a retro way," but when Chad Valley loosens his grip on the keys and lets space rather than noise carry his songs ("Fall 4 U", "Manimals", "Fathering/Mothering"), the album soars instead of floats".