[17] Directly after wrapping filming in August 1986 for The Cure in Orange, the band embarked on a spontaneous week-long holiday in Le Mourillon before moving on to Jean Costa's studio in Draguignan for a two-week pre-production session to refine demos recorded earlier that summer in London.

Smith mixed the album with co-producer David M. Allen and engineer Michel Dierickx during sessions in December 1986 (Compass Point, Bahamas) and January 1987 (ICP Recording Studios, Belgium), respectively.

[21] Robert Smith stated on his website that there was so much material to draw from that he initially compiled a three-disc edition, with the third disc containing alternate studio versions of the album's songs.

[22] In a contemporary review, Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone praised the album for its developed sound saying "The Cure is trying to deepen and refine an existing sensibility rather than reach outward to expand it".

[23] Chris Willman of Los Angeles Times observed, "For all its unevenness, “Kiss Me” is a welcome step away from the existential gloom-monster image the Cure has cultivated.

The band still sounds like the Velvet Underground meeting Emo Philips in a dimly lit post-punk disco, but with an even wider variety of influences and instrumentation in the mix.