 Upon release , " Misery " received mostly favorable reviews from contemporary music critics . Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone called the song " addictive " and " catchy " while having " feel @-@ good lyrics . " Mashable 's Emily Blake praised the song and stated " try not to get hooked . " A reviewer from <unk> enjoyed the " surprisingly upbeat " sound of the track compared to Stefani 's single , " Used to Love You " . Writing for Entertainment Weekly , Leah Greenblatt dubbed " Misery " as a " come @-@ on disguised as [ a ] caution " ; Greenblatt further praised the song for being a " stomper " . Sal Cinquemani of Slant called the track a " standout " . 
