Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis offered to record The Clean after seeing them play in London, after which Vehicle was produced during a three-day session.

The album was engineered by Ken Kennedy and notable producer Alan Moulder, who was suggested by Travis.

By the time the "Getting Older" single was released, the band had broken up, spurred on by the pressures of fame.

[4] The New York Times wrote that "the guitar chords still tumble out with the grace of falling bricks, and the songs have an endearing buoyancy that results from the band's conscious rejection of precision.

"[9] Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), wrote that the album has "little in the way of songs ... but a lot of texture and attitude.