It was released as the album's third single on 19 May 2021, through Atlantic Records, premiering alongside the announcement of a livestreaming concert titled Ancient Dreams: Live from the Desert.

[2] She followed with second single "Purge the Poison" in April 2021, and revealed the title of the album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, and its track listing.

[8] On that same day in the US, the song was bundled with previous singles "Man's World" and "Purge the Poison"" as part of a digital extended play on Spotify.

[5] Chelosky provided a positive review of "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land", predicting that it will mark Marina's return "to possessing an interesting image that imbues the music with personality".

[16] Abigail Firth, of Dork, called the song "one of her most unabashedly fun and vibrant" releases, and felt it recalled the sound of her debut album, The Family Jewels (2010).