Upon its release in Sept. 1990, Neil Yonge Street quickly met with critical approval. “Repeated listening reveals the rough, haunting brilliance of this debut album,” wrote The Toronto Star, while NOW noted that “Scott Bradshaw is capable of colouring his songs with totally descriptive narratives.”
Neil Yonge Street also soon became a favourite on campus and community radio stations across Canada. It remained on the NCRA National Chart (for campus radio) for four months, peaking at No. 5 in Nov. 1990. Tracks received some commercial airplay, CBC radio offered support on a variety of its programs, and solid MuchMusic play of the Videofact funded video for "l Remember Again” helped bring the band new fans across Canada. The album also made a splash on US campus radio, reaching No. 10 on the CMJ imports chart in October.