 MusicOMH reviewer Simon Evans said Powderfinger added "a real punch to songs ... far removed from your standard rock and roll fare" in Vulture Street, praising the emotion and seriousness of "Since You 've Been Gone" and "How Far Have We Really Come?", and the "fun" in "Don't Panic". Evans praised producer Nick DiDia for his work on the album, which he summarised as "a quantum leap from its rather passionless predecessor, Odyssey Number Five".
