Commenting on the results of the band's new line-up, AllMusic's Ned Raggett considers "Construction Time Again" to be "a bit hit and miss... when it does hit, it does so perfectly". Singling out "Love, In Itself" Raggett observes: "Depeche never sounded quite so thick with its sound before, with synths arranged into a mini-orchestra/horn section and real piano and acoustic guitar spliced in at strategic points." Regarding Alan Wilder's songwriting, Raggett states: "Wilder's... songwriting contributions are fine musically, but lyrically, 'preachy' puts it mildly, especially the environment-friendly 'The Landscape Is Changing'."