It was produced by David M. Allen, mostly recorded and mixed at RAK Studios, engineered by Roy Spong, and published by Dying Art Ltd. Manscape saw Wire exploring electronica more deeply than on previous works.

In a contemporary review, Entertainment Weekly wrote that the music is "wonderfully crafted, amounting to a textbook in evocative synthesizer sound.

AllMusic's retrospective review said, "taken for what it is, Manscape is edgy, brainy dance music, but taken as part of the largely brilliant Wire oeuvre, it's a disappointment.

"[3] In their 2015 "Wire Albums from Worst to Best" list, Stereogum ranked it 14th out of 15, writing, "There are flashes of intriguing material, like "Sixth Sense" ... "Small Black Reptile" is a fun slice of atmospheric pop, and "Torch It" even approaches Nine Inch Nails, if Trent Reznor sounded like a more distinguished British punk.

Add to that the slap-bass keyboard patches and flanger-heavy fuzz guitar, and for all of the things that Manscape does right, it's still an album that sounds hopelessly trapped in the early '90s.