The Entire City garnered critical acclaim upon release. Charlotte Richardson Andrews of The Guardian gave the album a five-star review, calling it a "stunning debut".[4]Simon Price wrote the record "will haunt you long after listening", in his review for The Independenton Sunday.[7] Jazz Monroe, writing for Drowned in Sound, gave it an eight out of ten, opining that "The Entire City - while slippery as a fish out of water, by all accounts - is crystal clear of ambition and concept."[2] He also did another review for NME, giving it a similar score and calling it a "triumph of art-pop splendour – equal parts terror and temerity."[6]