"murray street" received a score of 82 out of 100 from metacritic based on "universal acclaim". "entertainment weekly" wrote that, with the album, "sonic youth find a balance – between formlessness and structure, melody and cacophony – that's eluded them for a while". playlouder gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and said, "there is just enough balance between the tune, and the unexpected jazz chords, ear-splitting squeals, and lovely harmonic noises to make it forever listenable". "the a.v. club" gave it a favorable review and said the album "doesn't mark an epochal moment for sonic youth, but its familiar nods and new ingredients--from steve shelley's occasionally near-funky drumming to o'rourke's tingly laptop textures--stake out another high point for a band achieving self-realization by reconciling self-absorption with a sigh and a smile". neumu.net gave it a score of 8 of 10 stars and stated: "written with some basic, inviting rock structures, the album replaces the hyper energy and angst of older material with slowed-down, complex textures and delicate grooves -- but still rocks out intermittently". nude as the news gave it a score of 8 out of 10 and said, "whether they came on board at "daydream nation" or "experimental jet set", true believers will relish this one". "uncut" gave it 4 of 5 stars, and said that the album "contains some of the best music sonic youth have recorded since the landmark "daydream nation" in 1988". "blender" also gave it 4 of 5 stars and said of sonic youth, "they've got more sweet-and-bitter guitar muscle than ever". "q" likewise gave the album 4 stars and called it "an essay in coolly assured, sophisticated leftfield rock, occasionally laden with trademark discordance yet also full of scintillating tunes". "billboard" gave it a favorable review and said the album "features some of the group's most focused and seductive work ever". "mojo" also gave the album 4 stars while labeling it as the "album of the month", and said, "the band's conventional elements are even more conventional while the boundary-pushers stretch as far as ever". "spin" likewise gave the album a score of 8 out of 10 and said, "this time around, the band square their artier tendencies with their sweet tooth for classic psych-rock". no ripcord gave it 8 of 10 stars and said, "if you doubt the importance of sonic youth then a few listens to murray street will make you think again. yes, there are only seven rather lengthy tracks here but you'll have to look elsewhere for signs of indulgence".