The sound and subject matter of The Garden were informed by a number of factors: the composer's Catholic upbringing and early exposure to Latin mass and Gregorian chant; his exploration of England's countryside, architecture and history following the release of Metamatic; and the song "Systems of Romance", which had been written during sessions for the Ultravox album of the same name but was not included on the record, even though its title was used.

[3] Another connection between The Garden and Systems of Romance the album was the presence of guitarist Robin Simon, whose textured style had been a significant influence on the sound of the earlier release.

The opening track, "Europe After the Rain", encapsulated the style of the album as a whole, featuring discreet synthesizer work in concert with piano, acoustic guitar and a digital drum machine; its title came from a Max Ernst painting.

The former was played entirely by Foxx, the Lord's Prayer sung in Latin against an electronic disco beat and the composer’s 'Human Host', a collection of tapes, vocoders and synthesizer sounds.

The latter was a manifestation of the inspiration Foxx took from rural England and cathedral architecture; musically it also bore some resemblance to the final track on Systems of Romance, "Just for a Moment".