Tearing at the Seams

The single "You Worry Me" was released on January 11, 2018, along with the announcement of the new album.^[9] The song charted at Number 1 on Billboard's Canada Rock,^[10] number 1 on Adult Alternative Songs,^[11] number 18 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs,^[12]

On October 21, 2018, the music video to "A Little Honey" was released.^[13] The song charted at Number 2 on Billboard's Adult Alternative Songs,^[11] The song was performed live on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 6, 2018.^[14]

"Hey Mama" was released as a music video on May 9, 2018.^[15] The song charted at Number 1 on Billboard's Adult Alternative Songs,^[11]

Rateliff told Vincent Arrieta of The Buffalo News that while he is generally hesitant to divulge the origins and meanings of songs, he did reveal that "Babe I Know" was at least partly inspired by his divorce, saying "I was kind of going through a lot in my personal time and trying to write about that situation and without being too revealing. The words of that whole song [are] sort of like saying goodbye to somebody, but also recognizing that I just wasn't receiving what I really needed – which was to be blown away by somebody and breathless around the person you care about.” ^[16]

Tearing at the Seams was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 78, based on 11 reviews.^[4] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 72 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 7 reviews.^[1]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the album "feels very much like a record worked out on the road. It's filled with high-octane grooves and gritty vamps, punctuated by the occasional moment of acoustic reflection. Often, the vibe trumps the songs, which is actually not much of a problem. The Night Sweats know how to re-create classic soul sounds."^[2]