night" mood is amplified by its "ripping" blues guitar solo. Rolling Stones Brittany Spanos described the record as "slow burning". The song has "atmospheric strings and sensual beat", and builds up to an "electrifying" guitar solo, wrote Idolator. Paris Close of iHeartRadio described it as a "pensive number" in which Jauregui "purrs with hope on the bluesy chorus". Harper's Bazaar Erica Gonzales considered "Expectations" a "sultry, stripped down" bluesy guitar record. Critical reception Idolator praised the record's instrumentation and "slinky" production, considering the song a "bold moment that is bound to put Jauregui on the right path" as she sounds "utterly at ease and highlights her compelling vocals", delivering "heaps" of personality. Time wrote that Jauregui "makes a soulful statement" in an "R&B mixed with rock 'n' roll" song "that swings and sashays at Jauregui’s deliciously languorous pace" while her lyrical delivery has "plenty of punch". Newsweek called it a "sultry and honest" debut single. Earmilk regarded the song as a proclamation of Jauregui's "ability to stand on her own as both a singer and a songwriter". MTV said the "smoky" song showcases Jauregui's "powerful pipes and marks a clear departure from Fifth Harmony's airy pop material". BBC described the song as "fierce-yet-vulnerable". Harper's Bazaar called the song a "sultry, stripped down departure" and "a strong introduction to Jauregui's next chapter." Stereogum deemed it a "masterclass in tension and release". Uproxx called "Expectations" an "impressive" solo debut in which Jauregui "sounds completely at home" and "more confident and comfortable than ever on her own". Music video In the preview of the music video, the background features a moody black-and-white clip of Jauregui slowly walking down a dimly lit hall and standing on a bridge as a muffled snippet of the song plays in the background. Creatively directed and co-edited by the artist, the video was released on October 24, 2018 with Jauregui portraying two sides of herself. Jauregui said of her concept for the video: "I wanted to focus in on the duality of existence. The more naïve, young, innocent self, and then the more dominant, sensual, violent self, because they both exist in me, and so they were exploring each other […] and that happened". Billboard said the "moody" music video is a "heartbreaker". Uproxx described the video as "striking" and "setting high expectations for what's to come from Jauregui." MTV wrote that it is a "stunningly sinister visual"