Cursing the Sea received positive reviews from critics. The album currently holds a score of 72 on review aggregator website Metacritic[10] indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Noel Gardner, music critic with NME, described the album's sound as "bursting with the spirit of the Ramones circa ‘End Of The Century’ while also stating that "Caoimhe Derwin and Jessie Ward’s guitars have perfected that Jesus And Mary Chain kettle-whistle sound".[11] Robin Murray of Clash (magazine) gave Cursing the Sea a 7 out of 10 score, describing the record as 'a thrilling ride that adds dangerous shades of noir to that jangle-pop format".[12]