Released on both 12" vinyl and cassette,[1] the six song EP The Backyard was recorded at Presence Studios and released under Rough Trade Records in 1984.

[a] The songs were composed by Mark Mulcahy and Ray Neal.

[2] The eponymous title track "The Backyard" became a staple on college radio charts following its release,[2] and there was a music video for it which received regular rotation on MTV.

Factory and features a cover of "The Backyard" by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr.[5] Drawing comparison to R.E.M.,[6] the record received much acclaim.

[7] Music critic Robert Christgau writing positively on Mulcahy's lyrics says that they are of "dazzled childhood and yearning adolescence," and likens the vocals to Loudon Wainwright III.