Joyride also marks a return to the band's focus on aggressive hard rock that was less apparent on their previous, more experimental effort, Unwind.

The album was heavily toted as reinforcing Oleander's aggressive side, comparable to later Soundgarden and Sponge; however, it does include two ballads in "Rainy Day" and the aforementioned "Runaway Train" The photo seen on the album's cover came from established photographer Neil Zlozower who had pictures of his wrecked Mustang for his insurance company.

On street date, Oleander played a half-hour acoustic concert at Tower Records in Citrus Heights; local radio station KRXQ broadcast the event from the store.

The promotional campaign focused on a retail presence in cities in which "Hands Off the Wheel" was received positively, such as Dallas, Cincinnati, and Minneapolis.

A listening party was held exclusively on Budweiser.com from February 28 through March 3 and allowed fans to stream the entire album.

While not as commercially successful or widely recognized as their major label debut, Joyride generally received critical praise.

Rolling Stone's Karen Bliss described the introductory "Hands Off the Wheel" as "one of those perfect singles, aggressive, penetrating but catchy."