Still, because they are notoriously bad at sticking to their own rules, they end up with something completely divergent from those ideas.

After coming up with the base sample, they bounced ideas around, with Doherty adding "nonsense vocals" to establish the basic cadences of the song.

The song is typically described as building and building until it ultimately explodes at its melodic climax, but Doherty described it as more of an analytical climax, and that the vocal approach is not intended to be "super climactic, like punching the air" and that it is better described as a "moment of rest".

[1] "Clearest Blue" debuted at Ottawa Bluesfest on 15 July 2015 as the opening song of Chvrches' first show since the conclusion of the 2013–2014 The Bones of What You Believe tour.

[6] Spin called the song "earnest and danceable" and praised its powerful opening notes, but "the song blossoms about halfway through with a breathtaking breakdown that bursts through the tension they've been building up".