Dusk received positive reviews. In the NME, Terry Staunton wrote, "It can be a struggle at first, as Johnson never lets up from his blacker-than-black world-view, but Dusk is a rich and hugely rewarding experience which draws you to its cold bosom again and again." In Melody Maker David Bennun observed that it was "a remarkably straightforward album" for Johnson and wrote, "Like Nick Cave, Johnson protects himself from the ridicule he invites with bombastic self-caricature. When he lets this slip, he's left with an album that, although frequently absorbing, is still as inherently laughable as any The The album. Dusk needs time to grow; it deserves it. But while it takes it, the Dogs of Lust are closing in, howling with mirth." Sam Samuelson of AllMusic declared it one of Johnson's "most accomplished products to date." "Slow Emotion Replay" was the 94th best-selling single in Iceland.
