Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

Prior to its official release, the entire album was available to stream on MSN's Listening Booth and NPR Music's First Listen.[5]

To further promote the album, Simpson performed on Late Show with David Letterman,[6] Conan,[7] and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.[8] Simpson also performed a set for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.[9]

"Turtles All the Way Down" was featured on FX's The Bridge.[10]

Simpson's cover of "The Promise" by When in Rome was featured in the Season 2 Episode 9 of the HBO series The Leftovers.

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
American Songwriter	[13]
The Daily Telegraph	[14]
Exclaim!	9/10[15]
The Irish Times	[16]
Mojo	[17]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[18]
Record Collector	[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]
Uncut	8/10[21]

Metamodern Sounds in Country Music received "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic, earning a normalized score of 81 out of 100 based on ten reviews by music critics.[11]

Jonathan Bernstein of American Songwriter noted Simpson's cover of When in Rome's "The Promise," stating that he "turns the song into a countrypolitan torch song that culminates in a cathartic release."[13]

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 59 and the Top Country Albums at No. 11, with 5,500 copies sold in the US for the week.[22] As of January 2017, the album has sold 228,600 copies in the US.[23]