Most of the songs featured on the album were inspired by the end of Nutini's relationships with his long-term girlfriend Teri Brogan, and another girl which began when they were still in their teens.

[1][2] Among the others, "Last Request" describes the couple's last night together, while "Rewind" expresses the willing of turning back time before the end of another relationship were his lover left him alone in a hotel.

[3][4] Another auto-biographical intimate relationship served as the inspiration for the album's second single, "Jenny Don't Be Hasty", which tells about Nutini's involvement with an older woman who refused him because of his age.

Marisa Brown of AllMusic praised Nutini's ability to convey mature honesty by crafting songs that carry effective lyrics and catchy melodies, concluding that the record "won't blow anyone away with its creativeness or ingenuity, but it's done well and it's direct and open and enjoyable to listen to, which is more than enough.

"[9] Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard felt the album didn't have any replay value because it had songs that lacked strong choruses and recognizable lyricism, saying that "For Nutini's lady fans, These Streets might be something to get hot and bothered about, but most of us could take or leave this useless beauty.