AllMusic reviewer Stewart Mason thought Fray was not a "distinctive frontman or as an instantly memorable songwriter, but the best parts of St. Jude are at least superior to, say, Menswear or Cast". He added that the "more measured material throws enough changeups to keep the album from getting tiring". Huw Jones of Gigwise said Street's production work aided the album's "extremely commercially viable" sound, as it "resonates with the warm recycled familiarity of so many bands that have gone before". He said it was "short lived enjoyment as opposed to repeated longevity". The staff at NME thought musical references to previous acts only accounted for half of the album's content, while the second half is "where ‘St Jude’ really begins to confound expectations and reveal a seldom-seen sensitivity". God Is in the TV writer Bill Cummings considered the band to a share a similar vein to Status Quo, in the way they are "musically tired, derivative and boring". The Guardian Maddy Costa gave a similar sentiment, stating that the band were "troglodytes on the rampage; if the garage fuzz of Kings of the New Road is effective, it's only because it's so derivative". Yahoo! Music reviewer Jamie Gill was slightly more sympathetic, acknowledging that while it "may be occasionally derivative, but it's also solid, confident and, musically at least, rewarding".
