Upon release, Icarus gained generally positive reviews,[5] and critics compared the band favorably to early-emo rock group Sunny Day Real Estate.[2][6] Mac Randall of The New York Observer described the band as "aggro-artsy trio fond of awkward time signatures, sly rhythmic manipulation, curlicuing vocal lines, and giving one song two separate track numbers for no obvious reason... [T]hese guys make a virtue out of attention-deficit disorder."[6]PopMatters called the band "one of the most exciting, if not one of the best, new acts in indie rock right now."[7]