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 praised "Sixteen Straws" as an exceptional album closer. Two years later, Rolling Stone Australia ranked Gala Mill #155 on their list of greatest Australian albums, with James DiFabrizio describing how it represented a pivotal moment in the band's development into iconic rock artists.