Writing for AllMusic, Jim Allen gave the album four-out-of-five stars and said: Their second album, Old Wounds, explodes with overloaded basslines, assaultive vocals, and beyond-distorted guitars, but there's an underlying sense of control here (more obvious on some tracks than on others) that makes the crucial difference between static and statement.

[2] Writing for Seattle newspaper The Stranger, Brian Cook also gave the album four-out-of-five stars and said: Their second full-length, Old Wounds, is full of the same grit that marks the finest punk records but succeeds on a grander scale thanks to its remarkable restraint.

[3] Jason Crock of Pitchfork score the album slightly lower with a rating of 6.6/10.0 and said: Though it's been two years since Settle Down City, the methods on Old Wounds are commendable even if the results are mixed; more artists would do well to work fast and in front of crowd as often as possible.

Better to lighten the weight of expectation than take so much time crafting "statements" and lose sight of what compels you as a band.

Should Young Widows continue to record this way, the band still fills its niche as cannily as any of their nu-pigfuck peers, while clearly making an effort to push those sounds and ideas someplace more distinctive.