"[3] In the UK, Paul Mathur of Melody Maker noted the album's "rather lovably gawky simplicity" may hamper its commercial chances, but added "there's much to recommend, particularly when the sisters move away from their sometimes rather rigid structures and let those aquamarine voices out into the open seas".

[4] Simon Williams of NME noted that "inter-continental influences are much in evidence" across the album, citing ABBA as one of the biggest, with "No Long Friends" being "a deadringer" for "The Winner Takes It All" and "Duet Alone" being "uncannily similar" to "The Day Before You Came".

He praised the "gorgeously impalpable harmonies" and added, "Seductive and sensual, when Swimming with Sharks breathe over the turntable, they make underwater romping the most attractive proposition in the entire known world."

[5] In the US, Billboard described Swimming with Sharks as "occasionally enticing synth-pop" and added that the duo "manages to vault the inherent limitations of a spare style with such attractive tunes as 'No Longer Friends' and 'Sweet Sadness,' sung with proper teutonic cool".

[6] Bob Thompson of the Canadian paper Terrace Standard stated, "Take some brisk Euro-disco, throw in cooing vocals and lots of lyrical posturing and you have Swimming with Sharks.