The EP received quite favorable reviews upon release. Mat Snow, writing for NME, noted similarities of the band's sound to that of The Birthday Party and compared Bonney's vocals to "Tom Waits throwing up into a fried-egg sandwich." He writes however, that "Harvey, Soundtracks and the Howard brothers are developing into something equally commanding [to that of The Birthday Party's music] [...] should Simon Bonney ever outgrow this fetishism, then Crime And The City Solution will achieve the truly distinct greatness promised by this record. They're just a kiss away from the pearly gates."[2] Writing for Trouser Press, David Sheridan called the album "cleaner and more powerful [than The Dangling Man EP]: all six tracks work well. Howard's guitar is as strong as ever, but piano and organ figure just as prominently. A hauntingly beautiful record by a well- integrated band."[3]
Allmusic went on to pick the EP as the highlight of the band's discography, with Robert Gordon writing: "Aussies with a gothic vision of the American South."[1]
^Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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