Some tracks, like "Philip K. Ridiculous" and "Delightful Nightmare," echo the heavy bass lines previously present in early Stranglers records.

The night after playing in Phoenix in his North America tour during March and August, Cornwell visited the Hoover Dam and recorded a video message there for his fans.

Rick Anderson, writing for AllMusic, called it a "very fine album," consisting of "scrappy, pared-down, punk-inflected power pop," with some songs evoking "the late '70s in an entirely salutary way.

"[3] Michael Toland of The Big Takeover concurred, describing the album as "a straightforward melodic rock and roll affair," adding that there's "nothing trendy or modern about it, thank goodness."

"[4] Jason Toon of the Riverfront Times wrote, "Hooverdam's stripped-down, three-chord sound is rawer than anything Cornwell's done since well before he left the Stranglers in 1990.