It was released as the lead single from their third studio album, In This Light and on This Evening, on 12 October 2009.

A music video for the song was released on 11 September 2009 and directed by Andrew Douglas.

"Papillon" charted in several countries, including Belgium's Flanders region, where it was a number-one hit.

In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 23 becoming their last UK top-40 hit as of 2025.

The official music video for "Papillon", lasting three minutes and fifty-five seconds, was uploaded on 11 September 2009 to the official Editors YouTube channel and was directed by Andrew Douglas.