6/30/1998 All Music Guide
Three Imaginary Boys
Bursting with high-energy playing and bare-bones production, the band's first album showcases Robert Smith's most concise songwriting. Smith's now common themes of isolation, alienation and despair are present, this time presented in perfect three-minute form with a more aggressive stance. Three Imaginary Boys ends up sounding like a slightly more tuneful version of Wire's Pink Flag and quite unlike anything else they would record later on.
- Chris Woodstra