In an interview Cerys Matthews, co-writer of the song, explained that while she was not a serious fan of the show, the basic premise of the series matched the concept of what she was trying to express.

A music video was released that featured the band performing the track while Mulder and Scully, played by look-alikes, search the concert venue with torches.

[5] In an interview with the Daily Record, she explained, "I'm not a big fan of [The X-Files] but I got the line about things getting strange for Mulder and Scully from watching the odd episode".

[6] After questioning, she later said that she would "prefer to go out for a night on the town with Gazza and Chris Evans than meet [The X-Files] stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny".

[9] Ben Myers from the now-defunct music magazine Melody Maker named the song the "Single of the Week" and called it "fantastic".

[3] Music Week gave the song five out of five, remarking that "the Welsh indie-popsters take their inspiration from The X-Files rather than The Mob this time around and are certain to hit the charts with this clever grower of a track.

"[10] Jerry Rubino, host of the popular radio show "Left of Center", named the song one of his favorite "Brit Things".

[14] Cerys Matthews and the band were extremely pleased with the final product, calling it a "better song" than "All Around the World" by Oasis, the single's main competitor at the time.

[18] "Mulder and Scully" was eventually released on 19 January 1998,[19] and, due to heavy promotion via BBC Radio 1, soon became the band's break-out hit, propelling them "into the limelight [...] numerous interviews and television appearances".

Music stores reported that the physical release of "Mulder and Scully" was selling slightly fewer copies than Usher's single "You Make Me Wanna...".

[26] The music video for "Mulder and Scully" was directed by Gerald McMorrow and features the band performing at a venue intercut with scenes of life on a tour bus at night.

[29] The video was heavily promoted in the United States, due in part to its direct allusion to The X-Files, and it received decent airplay.