[5][6] Eric Shorey of Nylon felt as though the song didn't deviate too far away from the band's general style of music, noting that "it's not hard to imagine the new jam entering the canon of dance-punk classics.

[11] Comparisons were also drawn to U2,[12] Brian Eno, and New Order, particularly their song "Procession", the melody of which Pitchfork noted "Call the Police" "borrow[ed] liberally from".

[13] "Call the Police" was released alongside "American Dream" as a double A-side single digitally on May 5, 2017;[14][15] they were made available once midnight was reached in one's time zone.

[16] The release acts as the band's first non-Christmas single in seven years (if "Christmas Will Break Your Heart" is not counted).

[17] The single release was accompanied by a post on the band's official Facebook page, which also included an update regarding the progress of their upcoming studio album.