 Sputnikmusic's Davey Boy characterized the lyrics as simple but effective, while Justin Donnelly of "Blistering" felt that "Swing Life Away" was one of three songs that ended the album in "huge style".By contrast, Marc Hogan of "Pitchfork" gave a much more unfavorable review, describing it as a "drearily unpoetic acoustic weeper".The accompanying music video was directed by Estevan Oriol and filmed in Chicago.