It was released on 12 July 2004 and spawned the singles "First Day", "Decent Days and Nights", "Meantime", and "Hounds of Love" (a Kate Bush cover).

The album received critical praise and was re-released as a special edition in 2005 featuring a DVD and coming with a slightly re-designed cover in pink rather than the standard LP's grey.

The album's artwork was inspired by the painting Lonely Man by Damien Poulain.

Music videos for "Decent Days and Nights", "A to B" and "First Day" were directed by Alex Smith of production company Black Dog Films, the video for "Hounds of Love" was directed by Patrick Daughters, also of Black Dog Films, and the video for "Meantime" was directed by Sam Arthur of production company Academy Films.

[1] Radio mixes of "Decent Days and Nights" and "Hounds of Love", mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, were included on the 2005 reissue of the album.