The song remains a staple of his catalog, often cited by fans as one of his most "nocturnal" and "atmospheric" tracks, perfectly capturing the "wolf in pop clothing" persona that would eventually make him the first artist to surpass 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The Weeknd review – a wolf in pop clothing - The Guardian
Musically, "Often" is defined by its "ice-dark" bass and atmospheric, minimalist production by Ben Billions and Abel Tesfaye himself. It is written in the key of G minor with a slow, deliberate tempo of 68 beats per minute. The Weeknd - Often
"Often" was the lead single for his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness , and was praised for being more "excited" and "lyrical" than his previous work on Kiss Land . It successfully commercialized his "sex-on-drugs" aesthetic for a pop audience without stripping away the grit that defined his early mixtapes. The song remains a staple of his catalog,