They particularly experimented in electronic music on a couple of tracks: the electro-rock minimalism of "Red Light" and the atmospheric, synth-based piece "Lunar Camel".

[6] When they recorded the final track of the album "Skin", Budgie asked co-producer Nigel Gray if he could add a second drum kit,[7] as if "I was playing to myself a ‘call and answer'.

[9] A 180 gram vinyl reissue of the album, remastered from the original ¼” tapes and cut at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell, was released in December 2018.

Melody Maker's Paolo Hewitt gave the album qualified praise, summarising it as "a kaleidoscope of sound and imagery, new forms, and content, flashing before our eyes".

[11] Writing for ZigZag, Kris Needs hailed it as "probably the most varied, diverse and adventurous offering yet to shimmer under the Banshees' banner", praising the band's new musical direction: "Tracks veer from the lightest electronic backdrop pulse to surging soundwalls as mesmeric and powerful as anything they've done.

Needs noted that Siouxsie's voice "gained new strength and depth, but she's also widened beyond singing and writing to include synth, piano and a spot of guitar".

[12] The band's work on the singles "Happy House" and "Christine" was hailed shortly after their release by peers the Jam; singer-songwriter Paul Weller said that both songs used "some unusual sounds", while drummer Rick Buckler qualified them as "innovative".

[13] In his retrospective review, David Cleary of AllMusic described Kaleidoscope as a "strong record" with "extraordinarily imaginative production values, featuring intricate synthesizer-flecked arrangements; psychedelic touches in "Christine", spaceship synthesizer swoops in "Tenant" and rhythmic camera clicks in "Red Light" all enliven their respective songs".

[10] The 2004 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide gave a 3 out 5 rating saying that with the change in personnel, Kaleidoscope refined "the Banshees' attack, diversifying the sound without losing its swirling impact".

[14] In 2020, Rolling Stone included Kaleidoscope in the top 40 of their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising McGeoch as "one of the Eighties' unsung guitar masters" and Siouxsie's "vocal charisma".

[22] Tim Burgess of the Charlatans said: "my favourite Banshees album is Kaleidoscope, because it's been the most played [...] or maybe because of one or a dozen other reasons, 'Happy House' and 'Clockface' are both in my top 100 songs of all time".