"[7] In a review for AllMusic, Mark Deming stated that "listeners who embraced Fugazi's more experimental side... will doubtless be pleased" with the album, and described the group as "a bold, bracing, fearless band... playing music that challenges and dazzles."

"[1] Stuart Berman of Pitchfork called the album "an instrumental power-trio record that values economy and emotional resonance over technical wizardry and structural complexity," capturing "two old pals communing with a new one, exploring the potential of their developing dynamic and sculpting ideas into song-like shapes...

"[6] NPR Music's Jason Heller remarked: "The Messthetics breathes and swims organically, a mini-symphony of telepathic, extemporaneous interplay between three modestly masterful musicians, a work that relocates the mind and brushes the soul while moving the body.

"[9] In an article for Exclaim!, Matthew Blenkarn stated that the album "encompasses both technical exploration and punk's bracing immediacy," but cautioned that "too often... Pirog's guitar heroics overshadow his bandmates.

"[11] Dusted Magazine's Jennifer Kelly stated: "for the most part, the wildest explorations leap from and return to a solid foundation, so that the music makes sense, even when it runs hottest...