Steve Lampiris of Spectrum Culture praises the band's self-awareness: "The band—vocalist/guitarist Bryan Scott, guitarist Patrick Kennison, bassist John Moyer and drummer Josh Memelo— alternate between poking fun at rockstar life and junkie culture (and sometimes both simultaneously) throughout the proceedings. Scott dryly mocks the allure of the former: 'Dilate, dilate, what’s my drug of choice?/ It’s okay when they pay, they say I got the voice/ Look at this, the motherfucker is a millionaire/ Realize it’s a mask that you wear' and 'Never forget your lies/ Hypocrisize, five million might change your mind.' He sneers at the latter and romanticizes drug abuse in rock just as much: 'It’s such a shame that it is this way/ I’m a junkie, god is gay/ Hate to bleed but it heals my pain' and 'Say that you never wanna get high, man/ There’s nothing better, give it a try, man'. And ultimately, that’s what An Education in Rebellion is: a 34-minute (satirical) ‘fuck you’ to everything and everybody".