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? Neptunes has additional vocals from American artists Kelis, Lil' Cease, and Snoop Dogg. "How Many Licks?" was praised by music critics after its release and in retrospective reviews; the Neptunes remix also received positive reviews. However, African-American studies professor Mark Anthony Neal criticized the song's treatment of black female sexuality. Commentators compared its content to Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj's 2014 single, "Anaconda". "How Many Licks?" peaked at number 75 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and charted in several other countries, but was not as commercially successful as Lil' Kim's previous releases. The song's music video was directed by Francis