 "The Guardian"s Ian Gittins found the band swapping "grunge-lite punk-pop" for a "sleek angst-rock that would be rejected from the soundtrack of The OC for lack of emotional depth".Tom Sinclair of "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that a greater emphasis was put on "infectious choruses and razor-sharp melodic hooks".Though the "cannily constructed" tracks might not "change anyone’s life" ... "they sound good enough to almost convince you they mean something".