Are We There of 86, based on 36 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". At "Rolling Stone", Will Hermes rated the album four stars out of five, remarking how Van Etten's "darkness contains multitudes" just as Nick Cave's does, and he states Van Etten's latest release is "magnificent... which grows her trademark examinations of romantic decay to cathedral-like scale." Fred Thomas of AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five, indicating how Van Etten "can deliver her songs with a powerful, borderless command." Due to its high rating of 86 on Metacritic, Are We There became the fifth most critically acclaimed album of 2014.
How Many Licks? "a celebration of autonomous female sexuality" to a "vulgar, demeaning moment of black female objectification". Some critics compared "How Many Licks?" to Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj's 2014 single, "Anaconda". Alex Kristelis of "Bustle" noted that both songs focused on men's appreciation of the singer's body. A "Khaleej Times" writer called "Anaconda" a "blatant copy" of "How Many Licks?", with Minaj's song sharing "the lyrical blue print and theme" of Lil' Kim's. "Westword"'s Cory Lamz wrote that Minaj parodied "How Many Licks?" and its associated visuals in the music video for her 2011 single "Stupid Hoe". According to Michael Arceneaux, "How