In January 2012,[2] the 1975 was formed by singer Matthew Healy, drummer George Daniel, guitarist Adam Hann and bassist Ross MacDonald, who had played music together since 2002.

Focusing on the 1975's relationships with drugs and the governing authorities in his small town, Healy developed a story which details smoking marijuana with friends, resulting in encounters with the police.

[9] After recording "Chocolate" in Liverpool, the band and Crossey traveled to London with engineer Mike Spink and programmer Jonathan Gilmore, where they worked at Livingston studio.

[3] Programming "Chocolate" involved the use of "strange" percussion such as off-beat "trashy parts" including a tambourine and a "body hit" sample developed by Daniel.

This portion of the recording included a marimba from Spectrasonics Omnisphere, an ambient pad from Absynth and an arpeggio constructed using various soft synths from Vacuum, EXS24 and Massive.

Having already developed a rough edit of the track, the producer only wanted to create an improved version; Crossey was inspired by the "bottom-end vibe" of Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" (2010), so his mixing work on "Chocolate" focused on the "bottom end" of the rhythm section and adjusting the song's groove.

Elsewhere, the producer spent time developing the desired interaction between the vocals and the drums, seeking to construct the former with "some presence and wideness and vibe" to give Healy's voice "a sense of importance".

[15][16] The track has a length of three minutes and forty-four seconds (3:44) and was written by the 1975 members George Daniel, Healy, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while the band handled the production alongside Crossey.