The group co-wrote the song with Frank Nobel and producers Kamille and Goldfingers a year before it was chosen as the album's lead single.

[2] Little Mix members Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall wrote "Break Up Song" with Frank Nobel, and producers Kamille and Goldfingers.

[3] According to Thirlwall, they wrote the song more than a year prior to its release with 1980s pop music and an element of nostalgia in mind, similar to that of their 2015 single "Black Magic".

[4][5] It was one of seven songs that Edwards, Pinnock and Thirlwall composed with Kamille in a single day, after having only one melody from a previous frustrating session.

[1] Glenn Rowley from Billboard described the song as an "80s-inspired anthem that see the members celebrate their independence after ditching the deadbeat men in their lives... the foursome sing over danceable pop production on the track's pulsating chorus.

"[9] Lewis Corner from Gay Times wrote, "The group are back with an 80s-tinged pop anthem that’ll swoop you out of your isolation blues.

[4] Attitude said "After teasing the start of a new musical era, Little Mix are back today with retro-tinged, synth-slick track 'Break Up Song' – and it's making us reach for the legwarmers.

In the video, the animated part was focused on the group hosting a Good Morning Britain-style breakfast show on a television channel called LM TV.

Perrie Edwards plays a fitness mentor, while Jade Thirlwall tackles the latest fashion, with each of them having their own segment in their respective verses of the song.