"Quiet Life" was first released on 17 November 1979 in Canada, with journalist Rosalind Russell describing Japan as being a "cult band in Canada" and that the album was "shifting copies like candles in a power strike". The band travelled to Toronto to perform two sets at the Ryerson Theatre on 24 November, which was their first show in six months (and also their last ever performance in North America), and was the first to feature Jane Shorter on saxophone. The album was then released in Japan on 20 December 1979 and then everywhere else in January 1980 due to a delay in manufacturing the album. It was released in the UK on 18 January.