Pool (Porches album)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Consequence of Sound	C+[4]
DIY	[5]
Exclaim!	8/10[6]
The Line of Best Fit	6.5/10[7]
musicOMH	[8]
Pitchfork	8.3/10[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Spin	8/10[11]
Uncut	7/10[12]

Pool received largely positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[2]

Jeremy Gordon of Pitchfork Media praised the album, stating, "Pool is an introspective record, tailormade for lonesome nights. It was made in Maine’s apartment, and while the record has a noticeably professional pop sheen, there are still vestigial hints of amateurism (such as the sound of fingers squeaking against the strings on album opener "Underwater") that convince me of its ideal setting. Anyone who lives in a city knows how easy it is to be pulled between lonely apartments and lonelier dance floors. By the end, the appeal of water becomes clear. You immerse yourself in it, disappearing from the rest of the world, but you’re still close to land."^[9]