From retrospective reviews, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album five stars, stating that "the razor-thin production and waves of noise mean that it takes a little bit of effort to pick out the melodies, but more often the furious noise and melodies fuse together to create an overwhelming sonic force" and that Grant and Mould "both turn in songs that are catchy, clever, and alternately wracked with pain or teeming with humor.