"Croftwork" was released by the band's own label Peatbog Records on 25 April 2005 as the band's fourth album, and the label's second release. The album title is believed to be a reference to the pioneering German electronic band Kraftwerk in a similar way to how "Trans Island Express" from the album is believed to be a reference to the band's album "Trans Europe Express", or its title song. The album was dedicated to the memory of Kathryn Beattie. Upon release it became the band's second longest studio album behind only "Faerie Stories", which is just under 11 minutes longer, although it has since been overtaken by both "Dust" and "Blackhouse", the band's most recent albums. The album cover features a close up of a cow whilst its back cover features a digitally altered, colour negative photograph of a bridge crossing a main road. The album is one of two albums by the band to not give descriptions to any of the tracks in the booklet, following their debut album "Mellowosity". Nonetheless, the landscape imagery in the booklet is reminiscent of the booklets for "Welcome to Dun Vegas" and "What Men Deserve to Lose".