It was the band's debut single, distributed simultaneously with their album Subliminal Plastic Motives by Zoo Entertainment and Spongebath Records.

Matt Mahaffey wrote the song "Cannon" in tribute to Richard Williams, founder of Spongebath Records and manager of his band Self.

[3] It instrumentally builds until it rockets into a heavy chorus,[4] using a sporadic guitar sequence and bassline alternating with intense vocals.

[9] Chuck Campbell of Knoxville News Sentinel lauded "Cannon" as a "modern-rock hit", likening its lyricism to the Breeders' song "Cannonball".

[10] Contrarily, Eric Brace of the Washington Post labeled "Cannon" as uninventive for rock music, comparing it to the works of Better Than Ezra and the Dambuilders.