Noel Murray of "The A.V. Club" opined that Interpol's virtue "lies in the way its music unfurls from pinched openings to wide-open codas", while Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stone" wrote that their "sleek, melancholy sound is a thing of glacial beauty". Eric Carr of "Pitchfork" argued that the band had forged their own distinct sound, "a grander, more theatrical atmosphere with lush production that counters their frustrated bombast", praising "Turn On the Bright Lights" as "one of the most strikingly passionate records I've heard this year." However, "The Village Voice"s Robert Christgau, naming it "Dud of the Month" in his "Consumer Guide" column, felt that Interpol "exemplify and counsel disengagement, self-seeking, a luxurious cynicism," downplaying Joy Division comparisons as "too kind". "Q"s lukewarm assessment of the album described it as "predictably claustrophobic listening".