"The Vineyard", the first single from "Strange Bird", was released on 16 September 2002. The song features Box' piano throughout and was described by BMG Australia as a "slice of delicious pop". The song received a common response to Augie March songs, with "Impress"s Jayson Argall writing that if he "was at pains to try and define the song or decipher its meaning, then maybe [his] attention would be better directed elsewhere". Guitarist Adam Donovan felt similarly, but with the consolation that "I've got a long time to live with it... I'm going to let it unravel as I listen to it more and more". The titular "Strange Bird" is mentioned directly in both "the Keepa" and "This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers", and many other songs feature bird imagery in their lyrics. The album was acclaimed upon release by critics. Triple J listeners voted "This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers" to number #66 in the 2002 Triple J Hottest 100 poll. All tracks written by Glenn Richards.