Reviews in the US were mixed. Tom Lanham of "Entertainment Weekly" called it a "sad, strangely lackluster epitaph." He added, "even the strongest track on "Head Music", 'Everything Will Flow', is a cheap echo of vibrant early work." Keith Phipps of "The A.V. Club" felt the album was their least consistent, saying: "The end result may be the least consistent album in a career marked by consistency, but it's still remarkable and well-represented by the grandiose pop of 'Electricity', 'She's in Fashion', and 'He's Gone', which do sound like proper Suede songs." "The Phoenix" felt that ""Head Music" isn't much more than an attention-grabbing, entertaining tease." However, positive praise came from "Spin". Barry Walters wrote: "Suede and Steve Osborne achieve a hard precision that brings back the brutality of early Suede while lending a complex sheen to simplistic material." Also very favourable was A.D. Amorosi of "The Philadelphia Inquirer", who also noted Osborne's role, saying: "Since 1990, Anderson & Co. have made the most of Bowie glam-era tartness without sounding even vaguely interested in flesh or flash. "Head Music" changes that, though, as producer Steve Osborne imparts a much-needed sense of sonic and emotional depth to make 'Electricity' and 'Savoir Faire' palpitate." Marc Weingarten of the "Los Angeles Times" called it "an album of considerable sweep and smarts," which would help the band "carve its own niche among American listeners."