With the follow-up single, "Prefab Heart" also appearing in November, combined with the band's distinctive image, they gained increasing attention with their music videos featured on the influential national ABC TV pop show Countdown from early 1980.

[1] Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane claimed, "the album's highlight was the sparse, evocative title track".

Songwriter and vocalist Dave Mason spins his story of alienation and self-loathing over a spacious and unsettling backing, the instrumentation sounding like it was dropped from the top of an aircraft hangar.

"[8] "Quasimodo's Dream" was covered by Kate Ceberano on her album, Brave (1989); by The Blackeyed Susans' Robert Snarski for the Triple R-FM compilation, RRRewind in the Chapel (February 1999); and by Jimmy Little on Messenger (June 1999).

[9] "Quasimodo's Dream" was interpreted by Tim Rogers with a music video[10] by Sandpit[11] to coincide with the theatrical release of an Australian feature film, The Boy Castaways (2013).

[12] Singer / songwriter Rob Dougan released a cover of the track on his "The Life of the World to Come" EP in February 2019, including both vocal and instrumental versions.