[3] Wheeler initially had difficulty structuring the songs, as this was something he previously had assistance on with his bandmates bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurrary.

[7] AllMusic reviewer James Christopher Monger said the album's themes unfold "more or less happens in real time", such as the diagnosis of the disease, experiencing the illness that followed and the eventual death.

[8] musicOMH contributor John Murphy said the album can be broken into three sections, namely the "initial shock of the diagnosis, which leads into hospital visits and death, and eventually the final coming to terms with mortality and a focus on celebrating the departed person’s life".

[9] Monger said that Tim Wheeler provided "(in great detail) arresting images of hospital visits, pain management, heartfelt family discussions, and various other (seemingly) mundane components of end-stage care".

[8] Detailing the album's sound, The Irish Times writer Lauren Murphy said listeners "expecting histrionic guitars on the Ash frontman's solo debut might be surprised to learn that this is a sumptuous, largely orchestral affair".

[6][7][13] During one occasion in the dementia ward, Wheeler saw a piano and proceeded to play it with his father, coming up with a piece of music that he considered to border on ambient.

[10] On 1 September 2014, Lost Domain was announced for release in two months' time; alongside this, the album's track listing was posted online and "First Sign of Spring" was made available for streaming.

[17] Irish Independent writer John Meagher considered it "up there with [Wheeler's] best work he’s yet done", mentioning that there was a "considerable pain and sadness in his well-chosen lyrics, but there’s so much that celebrates life".

[22] Monger wrote that the album was "as heavy as it is melodious"; he said that it was a "tiring listen, but it can also be a cathartic one," going on to praise the "adherence to pop craftsmanship and a willingness to see the whole thing through".

[8] Gigslutz's James Van Praag shared a similar sentiment, stating that it was "not a difficult listen" for him, adding that the "lyrical content would not work nor be as poignant without the impressively varied and technically proficient music that surrounds it".

[11] Lauren Murphy said Wheeler tackles the album's concept in a "remarkably candid manner that is refreshing, moving and even uplifting in places".

[7] Classic Rock writer Ian Fortnam said Wheeler made an album "so personal, so effecting [...] that its soul-rending lyrical subject matter is only rendered endurable by the sheer beauty of its masterly musical realisation".

[19]In a review for NME, journalist Mark Beaumont praised Wheeler for not "just bashing out a half-hearted country record or pulling a Johnny Borrell" like similar frontmen before him.

[9] James Glynn of State called the album "frankly awful" and found it "imply impossible not to question its content which veers from the melodramatic to the downright cheesy".