It was released in 1994, after an absence from the music industry of 6 years, and marked the duo's transition into a more techno/Eurobeat-influenced sound, which earned them popularity in Germany.

While promoting Interior Design, Sparks banded together with the French duo Les Rita Mitsouko and released the single "Singing in the Shower" which was a moderate hit in France.

Sparks then went on a temporary hiatus while the brothers spent the late 1980s and early 1990s concentrating on film-making, particularly an attempt to make a Japanese manga series, Mai, The Psychic Girl, into a movie.

The a cappella title track "Gratuitous Sax" looked back to the equally brief opener of the band's 1974 album; Propaganda.

Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins became Sparks most successful album in Germany reaching #29[12] and scored three hits on the German Singles chart.

"[6] Japanese editions of the album included "When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing) (Bernard Butler's Mix)" as a bonus track.