excellent example of Blur's emancipation, being "saturated with new sounds but faithful to melody". She also deemed the song "a great ballad, intimate and live-sounding, in the tradition of great Albarn ballads like 'Tender' or 'To the End'". According to BBC Music's Dan Tallis, the song is "a perfect pop song and the band struggle to better it". He continued saying that "you only have to listen to 'Out Of Time' a couple of times for it to become embedded in your brain; the dreamy vocals and gentle African drum beat soothe and calm your mind". Andy Greenwald from Spin claimed that "Out of Time" is "the album's highlight", describing the song as "failure-soaked" and "heart-stoppingly lovely". Devon Powers of PopMatters described the track as "a much more straightforward, apace ballad" compared to the previous song on the album, "Ambulance". Rob Brunner from Entertainment Weekly commented that Albarn's "heartfelt vocals" make up for "sappy" lyrics, while Pastes Jeff Elbel called the track the finest moment on Think Tank. Andrew Future of Drowned in Sound commented that the song "is content to swoon around the string-laiden waves of its own longing beauty, but only reveals its full worth after repeated visits". Similarly, Jeres from Playlouder noted that it "is the best Blur single in ages, but it requires more than a few listens". Brent DiCrescenzo of Pitchfork called the song a "majestic, snaking" song, but noted that it "relies less on the lugubrious, Gibraltar-docked solo than the vast, four-dimensional environment surrounding it". Alexis Petridis from The Guardian deemed it a "doleful and world-weary on" song. In a less positive review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the track a "hushed, melancholic elegy in the same vein as 'To the End' and 'Tender', though not as good as either". Accolades Jazz Monroe from NME placed the song at number two on their list of Blur's greatest hits, saying it "magically thrusts Damon's romantic resignation into a delicate, geographically displaced tale of modern ennui, melting all but the stoniest hearts". Nelson also included it on his list of their 10 best songs, at number six, commenting it is "easily the warmest Blur single, and maybe the warmest song in their catalog, period". Whilst listing the band's 20 best songs, The Daily Telegraph placed the track at number 12. Drowned in Sounds Sean Adams included "Out of Time" on his list of Blur's favorite