Upon release, Nicholson said "I don't want it to sound flippant, but it quite easy to write. It formed itself quite easily. We were just there, like we were hanging around while the songs were being written. When I listen to the album it sounds easy."[2]
Mark Deming of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, saying; "The 13 songs they wrote for this project are sublime, hitting their target with impressive skill. Whether they're trying to generate laughter, menace, or a pull on the heartstrings. Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson are two of the finest natural talents in country and folk music today need only listen to this to be convinced".[6]
Sienna Cronin from Daily Mercury said "There's an easy feeling about Wreck & Ruin, the new album from Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. It could be the husband-and-wife duo's natural chemistry, their individual talents as songwriters or their wholesome, family approach to life in the music industry - or a combination of all three."[2]