"[1] Dusted Magazine stated that "Nightingale is a distinctive exemplar of folk revivalism for the age of indie,"[1] and This is Fake DIY marked the album as the point where the band had "proven their worth in instrumental experimentation.

Frontman Cooper claims the art reflects the album's music, as the band was "trying to create a soundtrack to an imaginary horror film about the supernatural.

[4] According to James Monger of Allmusic, "The group takes traditional folk music and then filters it through the swirling psych rock of Piper at the Gates of Dawn-era Pink Floyd, the electro-freak folk of Animal Collective, and the pastoral creep of bands Espers and Vetiver, resulting in a wild pastiche of digital trickery and oral tradition that channels the spirit of '70s progressive rock while staying true to pop-song brevity."

In her review for This is Fake DIY, Mary Chang wrote, "While Erland & The Carnival have moved on quickly to a newer sound for Nightingale, the overall effect is mostly successful.

With this album they’ve proven their worth in instrumental experimentation; with original ideas in the lyric department merged with such imagination, the possibilities for this band are endless.