Trouser Press wrote that frontman Falling James Moreland "displays his boozehound-next-door humor for the first time on “A Drunker Version of You,” and it provides a welcome respite from the vitriol sprayed elsewhere."[11] The Los Angeles Times thought that "it's one narrow line between convoluted and eclectic, and Leaving Trains walks it, bends it and ties it into knots."[12] The Reno Gazette-Journal determined that "the guitar attack is reminiscent of the Clash in their heyday."[10]
Robert Palmer, in The New York Times, declared: "The album title is apt; Mr. Moreland writes the songs, then the band assaults them with well-placed jabs, hard riffing, chaotically celebratory vocals and sheer energy"; Palmer later listed Kill Tunes as the third best album of 1986.[13][14] The Providence Journal opined that "Kill Tunes does smack of revival, but not of stale rehash."[15]
AllMusic wrote that "the album mixes soft ballads, high-octane rave-ups, and furious rock played with endearing jangle, roaring bar chords, and catchy pop hooks."[5] Spin listed the album as one of the 80 "excellent" underground rock albums of the 1980s.[16]
