Reviewing the album in 2003, Chris Smith of "Stylus Magazine" described "The Flowers of Romance" as "a dark, spartan affair, one that is decidedly not for all tastes [...] But, twenty-two years later, there's nothing quite like it. It may not offer the kinetic glamour of "Remain in Light" or the gleeful spazziness of the Contortions, but I believe this to be one of the most interesting records produced in the fallout of punk." Aaron Hemphill of Liars fame wrote an article for "The Guardian" on the album, calling it "a forgotten classic" and an inspiration behind Liars' change of sound.