It was the group's final proper single release (a live cover of Loop's "Burning World" was later issued as a flexidisc) and marks the culmination of their experiments with electronica, being a heavily synthesised dance pop single.

It was made the Single of the Week in New Musical Express with an enthusiastic review by Ian McCann.

"Missing the Moon" was the first 12" single released on Sarah Records.

Interviewed in Melody Maker in 1996 to mark the closure of the label, founder Matt Haynes chose "Missing the Moon" as his favourite Sarah Records release, though he also claimed that many fans of the label "hated" it due to its dance crossover style and use of the 12" format.

The single was voted number 45 in John Peel's Festive Fifty for 1991.