The album's songs have been described by critics as featuring vague, often unsettling lyrics and dark, spare, minimalistic melodies. Some reviewers, such as Nick Kent of "NME", felt that "Seventeen Seconds" represented a far more mature Cure, who had come very far musically in less than one year. Ian Cranna of "Smash Hits" wrote that the band were creating more ambitious music, while still retaining their "powerful melodic intensity". Chris Westwood of "Record Mirror" was less enthusiastic, viewing the album as "a sidewards step" rather than a progression; he found the material "biteless, a bit distant", showcasing a "reclusive, disturbed Cure, sitting in cold, dark, empty rooms, watching clocks".