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''Chasing After Shadows... Living with the Ghosts'' was met with positive critical reception. Writing for the [[BBC]], Mike Diver ranked it as "one of the most beautiful albums of this year."<ref name = bbc /> James Mason of [[Allmusic]] noted that "As objective a concept as perfection is, it is hard to think of what Hammock have achieved here as anything else."<ref name = allmusic /> Ryan Reed of [[PopMatters]] described the album as "perfect sonic accompaniment for the half-dreams that plague a restless sleep."<ref name = popmatters />
Critics noted that the album featured "a slight move toward more conventional rock structures"<ref name = pitchfork /> and more acoustic textures than their previous releases,<ref name = allmusic /> but that fans of Hammock's previous releases would still enjoy it.<ref name =
Joe Tangari of [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] described the music as "intensely visual... you really get the sense of shapes shifting and forms moving."<ref name = pitchfork /> Mason praised the album's songwriting. "The temptation to slip into melodrama with music like Hammock's must be immense, but Byrd and Thompson know when to push over the top and when to pull back, take in the surrounding view, and pour that beauty into their songs," he said. "The exhilarating thing about this record is that they walk this line, between being at the top and going over."<ref name = allmusic /> Ferguson felt the strings were underused on the album, noting that "when they do come to the fore, the arrangements are excellent."<ref name = drowned /> The album's production was praised by Mason.<ref name = allmusic /> Reed said his favorite moments were those where "the surprising details creep in".<ref name = popmatters /> In contrast, Diver described the production as "patchy".<ref name = bbc />
The album's length was noted by reviewers. Mason praised the album for "[working] as an entire piece, not a mere collection of songs."<ref name = allmusic /> Tangari said the album was "easy to luxuriate in for its full run time."<ref name = pitchfork /> Writing for [[Drowned In Sound]], Robert Ferguson praised the opening three tracks, but felt that "from here is where ''Chasing After Shadows...'' starts to feel a bit samey."<ref name = drowned /> "Halfway through the album... the euphoria starts to wear off," Reed said, "and it becomes difficult not to beg for a fresh chord change or a new instrument."<ref name = popmatters />
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