Wolf Songs for Lambs

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	A-[3]
Pitchfork Media	6.9/10[4]

Reviews for the album were positive, although some critics were reserved in their praise due to the hype surrounding the band and the acclaim for Tremble Under Boom Lights. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic wrote that the flawed production "turns out to be a minor complaint, because Jonathan Fire*Eater has such an individual, idiosyncratic sound that even weak moments sound kinetic." He further compared the group to Pavement, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and the Make-Up, and concluded that "while the songwriting is uneven, the record still shows more style, substance and originality than most post-alternative guitar combos" and that while "it may not find Jonathan Fire*Eater fulfilling their potential... [it] remains a strong debut." Entertainment Weekly described it as "a sleeker, more oblique outing, and positively arresting" in comparison to Tremble Under Boom Lights, while The A.V. Club described it as "refreshing" in an era "occupied by overlong, overblown epics like the new Oasis record."^[5] In a more mixed but generally positive review, Brent DiCrescenzo of Pitchfork called the album "borderline novelty", but said it "grows on you like a mold" and further conceded he "[imagines] they'd be a better live groove."