Sid Smith of
BBC Music described ''Here's the Tender Coming
as an "astonishing record", "beautiful”, “haunting” and “beguiling". In a four-starred review for The Observer'',
Colin Irwin said: "This album may not be quite as bleak as The Bairns, and the sound is more sophisticated, but they still sound like nobody else... Tracks build slowly and mysteriously, but all are in service of the song. Their arrangement of the title track − a traditional song about the emotional devastation wrought by press gangs − brilliantly encapsulates the story's fraught desperation. Their version of Nobody Knew She Was There, one of Ewan MacColl's lesser-known songs about his mother, painstakingly paints a similarly dramatic backdrop with more atmospheric brass, and they put their own stamp on the Nic Jones classic, Annachie Gordon."
Robin Denselow, in a four-starred review for
The Guardian, called it "haunting, original and magnificent".
Neil Spencer, for
UNCUT, said: "It’s an often exquisite mixture of light and dark, instinct and artistry, that honours both the power of old songs and the stoicism of the lives that shaped them. Rarely has the deep past sounded so stirring, or so modern." The Italian website
Ondarock said that by including songs such as "Where've Yer Bin Dick?", "Lucky Gilchrist", "Betsy Bell" and "Because He Was A Bonny Lad" on the album, the Unthanks had "add[ed] panache and verve, following the tradition of the music hall". Gavin Leech, for MusicVice.com, described the album as "a pleasant ride through misery" and praised its "sheer precision", claiming that tracks such as "Annachie Gordon" and "Living By The Water" are "the most polished folk you’re ever likely to hear". Luke Winkie, for
DOA (Delusions of Adequacy), said: "Here’s The Tender Coming is incredibly methodical – everything moves at a very deliberate, very planned pace... The album feels very crafted because of it, organized as a true listening experience rather than a collection of songs". ==Track listing==