"[12] AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote that the band "excel[s] at sounding happy, sad, frustrated, and vulnerable at the same time, and their best songs, whether they're fast or slow, feel like they're bursting with nervous energy.

"[7] The New York Times's Kelefa Sanneh called Chutes Too Narrow a "sly, restless album that includes a cryptic protest song—full of sugary harmonies and disconcerting slogans—and a dreamy meditation on ontogeny.

"[17] Rolling Stone gave the record four stars, with reviewer Barry Walters commenting, "It must mean something that the freshest indie rock boasts tunes more substantial than what is sold in the mainstream.

"[14] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called Mercer "a gifted melodist with an arranger's knack for psychedelicizing simple structures and a folkie's fondness for acoustic strum.

"[11] Spin's Zac Crain compared their style to their "fellow travelers the New Pornographers", writing that "the Shins are reverent and referential, practically documenting their source material with footnotes, while acting like they own it.

Club felt the record was a disappointment in contrast to its "near-perfect" predecessor, but did speak positively when comparing: "[Chutes Too Narrow] does share its intelligence and concision, as well as its remarkable ability to make kicky pop-rock sound both simple and complex, retro and modern.

"[20] Similarly, Robert Christgau felt it "faster and clearer" than the band's "paisley-fringed" debut, writing that the album "advances the Shins well beyond the dreamy indistinctness that has replaced lo-fi as Indieland's distancing strategy of choice.

"[21] Alternative Press wrote that the band "satisfy largely by serving up more of what made their debut so good",[8] and Blender felt similarly: "Their second album is equally charming and more consistent.

[25][26] Pitchfork placed the record at number seven on their year-end list, writing that "Chutes Too Narrow shattered expectations, a meticulously sequenced, stripped-down collection of indie pop gems encompassing endless Technicolor universes.