If This Is Love - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

"If This Is Love" received mainly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. It garnered comparisons with the music produced by the likes of Girls Aloud, Depeche Mode, Sugababes, Robyn and Rachel Stevens, and was praised for its Yazoo sample and catchy chorus.

Catrin Pascoe of the Western Mail said that "If This Is Love" was her least favourite song on Chasing Lights. Nick Levine of Digital Spy reviewed the song: "This debut single is nothing that Rachel Stevens couldn't have given us three or four years ago: a midtempo electropop tune with a memorable chorus and a crafty Yazoo sample slipped in for bonus street cred. It's a solid, promising effort, but not really in the same league as the best debuts by British girl groups: 'Sound of the Underground', 'Overload', 'Wannabe' ". Evening Standard said: "'If This Is Love' is a slick electro-soul number. The vocals are a little shrill in places, but the overall feel is upbeat and feisty."

Mike Barnes of musicOMH positively reviewed the single: "The track itself is the obligatory fluffy summery pop we can't seem to manage without at this time of the year, replete with auto-tuned vocals that sound as though they've simply been parachuted in over a dance track to make it radio friendly. The chorus is pleasing enough, but what really lifts this is the pervasive Yazoo sample." Jacqui Swift from The Sun reviewed the song as follows: "Debut single 'If This Is Love' is pure uplifting pop backed by keyboard hooks which rival the best of 1980s bands such as Yazoo and Depeche Mode." Elle J. Small of the BBC highlighted the song's "Synth-heavy sound" and further described its sound as "An '80s throwback". Johnny Dee of Virgin Media likened "If This Is Love" to Sugababes' 2002 song "Freak Like Me", saying: "The opening bars of 'If This Is Love' sample 80s legends Yazoo, much as Sugababes did with 'Freak' and Gary Numan." Popjustice boasted that the song is: "An object lesson in how to write a pop song with a chorus so unexpectedly brilliant that it makes you think your head is going to explode." Phillip Thomas from The London Paper described the track as "disco-candy". American blogger, Perez Hilton called the song a "gay anthem". PopSugar said the track is "danceable". DJ Ron Slomowicz from About.com labelled the single as "pop-perfection" and noted an influence of Spiller's 2000 song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" in the intonation of the chorus. Mickey McMonagle of the Sunday Mail gave the single a five-star rating, calling it "catchy", a "brash pop song" and that "added impact comes from Yazoo's sample". Peter Hayward of musicOMH described the song as follows: "'If This Is Love' is a jolly blend of techno, disco and dance similar to the likes of Girls Aloud and Robyn. The track is uncomplicated and upbeat, and just begging for dance routines to be formulated in teenagers' bedrooms across the nation." Gary Ryan from City Life said that the song surpassed the recent efforts of The Saturdays' girl group contemporaries; Sugababes and Pussycat Dolls. Daily Star called the song a "sassy slab of electro tunesmithery".

Fraser McAlpine of the BBC gave the single a four out of five star rating, saying:

Essentially there are two very good elements in play here: the Yazoo sample, and the chorus. Conveniently these two do not overlap, but one or the other is in play at pretty much any time. However, the sample is probably relied upon too heavily and once you realise that, the verses sound rather flimsy. The chorus, however, bears repeated listens. It's infectious and melodically strong, and mature this is an impressive debut - The Saturdays have gone with the trick of releasing a song that doesn't sound like a first single, but sounds like they have in fact been doing this sort of thing for years and aren't even considering that this might not be a hit.