In 2014, the track "Sixteen Straws" was included by Flavorwire on their list of "The 50 Best Album Closing Tracks in History". In 2021, Rolling Stone Australia included Gala Mill at #155 on their list of "The 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time" (one of two Drones albums on the list), with James DiFabrizio writing that it saw the band "[expand] their vision to the feverish, eloquent rock’n’roll dirges that would go on to define their legacy in Australian music."
In 2014, Flavorwire included "Sixteen Straws" on their list of top album closers. Two years later, Rolling Stone Australia ranked Gala Mill #155 on their countdown of the best Australian albums ever, with James DiFabrizio noting that it marked a turning point in the band's evolution into influential rock'n'roll artists.