I tried over successive cuts (I do my own at home a lot) to let the back grow into a party - but as soon as it got long enough to be obvious I was like yuck, no can do!
Didn't help that it was probably summer when I tried. Too much hot and sweaty in exactly the wrong place, so off it came.
Don't see why you can't try and let it grow out though - maybe with a fauxhawk as a middle ground...