[2] The song is the band's first to feature a solo vocal by keyboardist Hannah Greenwood,[3] who "yells" the line "So darling just you shut your pretty mouth" in the chorus.
[4] It also features additional guitar by James Harding,[5] as well as a spoken word intro by Ellie Price of Southampton-based math rock band Signals.
[4] Reviewing the song for Upset magazine, Ali Shutler described the lyrical content of "Black Rain" as being "Soaked in heartbreak and dramatic consequences", proposing that it deals with the concept of "the frustrations of being young, free and wanting more centre stage" which, he claims, then lead to "uncertainty and self-doubt".
[7] Clash writer Dannii Leivers claimed that the song is influenced by the work of record producer Jim Steinman, describing it as a track which features "goth majesty".
[12] In a review of the single, Shutler described "Black Rain" as "Epic and built to inspire a thousand ideas", praising it as "the first time Creeper have properly stuck their flag in the ground, taken a little bit of everything they love, and proudly declared 'this is us'".