"[6] Consequence of Sound's Frank Mojica described The Russian Wilds as "a crash course in 70's [sic] album-oriented rock," adding that it "captures the magic of on-stage jamming, such as the psychedelic guitar solos on opener 'Self Made Man'.

"[7] Critic Tom Hughes of The Guardian was not quite so impressed, stating that the band "ape the cons as well as the pros of 70s rock: longer-than-necessary songs, a weakness for cliche and, inevitably, unabashed retroism", opining that the album sounded "a bit weighed-down".

"[9] In an unfavorable review for the NME, Ailbhe Malone described the album as "a curious hybrid", finding that it contained "proper classic rock moments, but elsewhere sounding a bit elevator music" and observing that "though Ethan Miller's vocals are impeccable, they get lost in strange metaphors and an excess of ideas.

"[11] Rolling Stone's David Fricke was more complementary, finding that the album's classic rock influences "are propelled with bracing studio clarity and hot-live gig immediacy" and saying that "the inspirations and pot-dream idealism may be retro; the zeal and momentum are not.

"[13] In a review for Spin magazine, Grayson Currin described The Russian Wilds as "a terrible album, another unfortunate instance in which the world's major-label machine has failed to understand the essence of a band they've inked", observing that it "attempts to be something more than just a rock 'n' roll record.