The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics. According to Thom Jurek of AllMusic, "The creative vision behind In Between Thoughts...A New World is at once ambitious and mercurial."[2] Chris Conaton of PopMatters called the album "compact and entertaining", and noted that Rodrigo Sánchez's experiments with electric guitar added some new elements to the duo's sound, while Gabriela Quintero's continuing acoustic guitar work grounds the album in their established repertoire.[3] Aimee Ferrier of Far Out called the album "a virtuosic display of Rodrigo y Gabriela's impeccable guitar playing" and noted the duo's ability to craft instrumental songs that "tell intricate stories without saying a word."[4]
Ryan Dillon of Glide Magazine offered a somewhat mixed review, claiming that the album's arrangements are cluttered "like a star-studded action film" but concluding that Rodrigo y Gabriela "provide us with a soundtrack that brings us along on their spiritual journey with the perfect balance of god-like musicianship and humanizing experiences."[5] Jacob Lenz-Avila of Mxdwn mostly praised the album, but added that "the record's production evokes a free music library that comes with video editing software."[6]