[6] Allmusic's Steve Leggett called the album "a gem" that is "full of haunting, passionate songs that breathe with country soul and a kind of autumnal grace", which this "solid debut, made by a band that arrives fully formed and has a great future.

"[3] Holly Gleason of Paste found that "working with producer Charlie Peacock, The Lone Bellow figured out a way to harness the acoustic-rock template being mined by Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and The Civil Wars and add a sense of powerful vocal incandescence.

"[7] Roughstock's Matt Bjorke alluded to how "The trio's earthy harmonies drive their sound and while the comparisons to popular rootsy folk bands like Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Needtobreathe and The Civil Wars are obvious, The Lone Bellow showcases throughout this fantastic self-titled album an ability to bridge the trend of the moment with a more wholesome, heartland sensibility that could and should lend the band to the ears of mainstream Country Music fans.

"[2] Jerry Shriver of USA Today proclaimed that the album is "Passionate and self-assured, this trio's debut treads a middle ground between Mumford bombast and neo-folkie navel gazing" that has "a rootsy brew flavored with close harmonies and light on hipster pretension.

"[5] At PopMatters, Steve Leftridge highlighted that some may criticize the effort because it may seem a bit "sounding trend derivative", which he found the album "simply too good to need any qualifying", and this led him to note that it's hard "to knock and the year's Americana debut to beat.