"restart" garnered acclaim from music critics. sarah brehm felt the release "will be a contender for best pop album of the year in the ccm market." tony cummings of cross rhythms wrote that "wherever you look you'll find cleverly conceived, expertly executed and, most important, spiritually uplifting pop music," with the newsboys "clearly still a brand leader." roger gelwicks stated that ""restart" is the best the newsboys have ever sounded" and being "comfortable in their own shoes and daring enough to stay interesting, the newsboys are still a force to be reckoned with, and "restart" is proof." mark rice of jesus freak hideout felt that "there is lots of good to say about this album, a lot of it being simply a full album of original, fully christ-centered material made by some excellent musicians." at "worship leader", randy cross added that ""restart" is a wonderful album from start to finish. it's electronica start only reinforces the more reflective songs that follow and creates a great balance overall." however, cross noted that "while this beautifully sets up the more acoustic leaning songs, it may feel repetitive to the casual listener."