AllMusic editor Tim Sendra was ambivalent towards the record, commending the return to "Bleed American" material that's made up of "rousing anthems ("Big Casino")", "melancholy rockers with singalong choruses ("Chase This Light")" and "sweet ballads ("Dizzy")" but was critical of the dry and airless production, the vocals sounding passionless and the unimaginative lyricism, saying that its "nice to listen to and vaguely uplifting, but ultimately empty on the inside." He concluded that "Jimmy Eat World have proven they can do better than this and they may yet, but this album is a bit of a disappointment." Andrew Blackie of "PopMatters" was also disappointed with the album coming across as "a weaker, limper version" of "Futures", criticizing producer Butch Vig for making the band sound "processed and sterile" and the lyrical content for being "juvenile and sapped in self-important, happy-go-lucky sentiments." He concluded that "ore disappointing than that, though, is the fact that there is hardly anything groundbreaking to be found in "Chase This Light"s 40 minutes, which is less than we’ve come to expect from this band."