The Morning Call called the album "an exemplary collection of modern-day Chicago rock," writing that "the strong guitar melodies of Blake Smith and Rick Ness complement their equally intricate vocal melodies, and the tongue-in-cheek approach taken to hint at the horrid keeps the recording fun, never tedious."[13] Trouser Press wrote: "Able to conjure up a potent haze of slacker sloth and then obliterate it with a fierce rock assault (see 'It’s Your Ceiling' for a concise demonstration), Fig Dish keeps attitude out of the effort, concentrating on simply effective tunes."[7]
CMJ New Music Monthly deemed it "a respectably tight-fisted punch of buzzing guitar caterwaul."[14] The Chicago Tribune called it "a minor revelation," and praised the "sturdy melodies, concisely and smartly arranged."[9] The Washington Post judged That's What Love Songs Often Do to be "lively pop-grunge with more than a touch of Nirvana's swirling feedback and woozy despair."[15]
AllMusic wrote that the album delivers "solid alternative pop with a big guitar sound."[8] In a retrospective feature, the Riverfront Times called "Bury Me" "a sub-three-minute nerd-rock waltz with interesting arrangements (i.e., a bridge that slows down dramatically, before speeding up again in a drumming fury) and the plaintive (and effective) call, 'Wanna be with you!'"[16]
