On August 28, 2020, SM Entertainment announced that Taemin would be releasing the first part of his third studio album, Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1, on September 7, alongside the lead single "Criminal".

[2][5] The song "pulsates with an intoxicating, borderline hypnotic groove", before building to "an explosive moment of catharsis" in the final chorus.

[9] Writing for IZE, Kim Yun-ha praised the explosive energy of the song, highlighting the intensity of the final chorus.

[11] The music video for "Criminal" was directed by Jo Beom-jin of VM Project Architecture, who had previously worked with Taemin on "Press Your Number" (2016) and "Drip Drop" (2016).

[2] In the video, Taemin performs the choreography to the song on various sets, including a lava floor, a "sterile white room" and a setpiece inspired by The Devil's Advocate.

[10] At the song's climax, Taemin utters the line, "Destroy me more," while staring directly at the camera and running a hand through his hair.