Heather Phares of AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five, praising it for revisiting the "halcyon days of the late '80s and early '90s, when indie pop crossbred with shoegaze, and groups like Lush, Bettie Serveert, and Velocity Girl mixed those dreamy sonics with immediate hooks and melodies."

"[8] Likewise, Swedish magazine Muzic said: "The music and melodies are elaborate and well composed without being predictable or too easily accessible, which is an art in itself to master.

"[9] NME was complimentary of Anna Eklund's vocals, saying that her "spectral diction – enshrined under glacial washes of distortion – is seductive and richly evocative.

"[10] Although Joyzine was dismissive about the length of time it took the band to compose the album, and said such brevity often resulted in sub-par records, they described Unknown Colors as a major leap forward for the group.

A writer for Sonic Magazine said they enjoyed the first ten songs, but "quickly lost interest" during the album's eleventh track, when "everything begins to fall flat".