The staff of "Rock Hard" said "The Art of Losing" "evokelittle emotions", writing: "They are too professional and good to be annoying [... too calculated and unoriginal to sincerely like". "Entertainment Weekly" Craig Seymour wrote American Hi-Fi "returnwith a peppy, though derivative, kick of suburban brat rock". Seymour said a few tracks give a "quick sugar-high effect—once they fade, they’re about as fresh as overchewed bubblegum". "Cleveland Scene" writer Mikael Wood said the album is "full of agreeable sass", though the inclusion of Jones conveys a "total lack of originality". AllMusic reviewer Johnny Loftus said the record is filled mainly with a "jumble of F-words, cheeky pop culture references, name-drops ... and more buzzing 21st century new alternative rock helped out considerably by production chicanery". Kirk Miller of "Rolling Stone" noted despite the band being two years from the release of "Flavor of the Weak", they were seemingly "still searching for [an identity". "Melodic" writer Kaj Roth called it an "OK album" and noted American Hi-Fi as having lost "their own personal style", sounding "just like 36 other bands".