It was released through Fueled by Ramen on April 7, 2021, as the lead single of their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy (2021).

[6] "Shy Away" is composed in the key of C major, while Joseph's vocal range spans one octave and four notes, from a low E3 to a high of A4.

[6] The track includes a "brief but tasteful" half-time breakdown for the "hardcore kids", and has been compared to the likes of artists such as the Strokes and Phoenix.

It's considered to be one of the band's most upbeat songs, and is synth-heavy, with elements of electronic, pop and indie music.

The video features the new colors prominently: vibrant shades of light blue, pink and occasional yellow.

[8] In the video, a few background musicians portrayed by Joseph and Dun wear torn and burnt ski masks, a reference to the stylings of their earlier albums, Vessel and Blurryface.