Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan included this among the notable releases of the week, calling it "a loud, punk-informed rock record" that shows the band geling as a unit rather than a solo project for vocalist Ned Russin.

[1] In Dork, Ciaran Picker rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a reworking of previous material, making it more refined, defined, and consistent" with post-punk and electronica sounds.

's Rachel Roberts rated Rationale a 3 out of 5, summing up that "there are little twinkles of innovative magic in the corners of this album, and they would make it feel more worthwhile if brought to the forefront more often".

[4] Editors at Stereogum chosen this to be Album of the Week, with critic Danielle Chelosky ending her review, "It's probably not far-off to assume the title Rationale is satirical, a sort of jab at himself for bothering to look for logic in a world founded on inexplicability.

[6] The following day, Stereogum published a similar overview and placed it as the 43rd best album of the year so far, with Danielle Chelosky praising "sagacious lyricism... at its peak... wrapped up in colorful guitars and fluttering synthesizers".