It was written by all three members of the band alongside Emiko Bankson, James Krausse, and Rachel Kramer, while production was handled by Eric Palmquist.

Written after the dissolution of the lead singer's high school band, it describes "the theme of hope inside hopelessness and finding purpose and passion despite feeling unrooted" using space imagery.

"[4] The last part of the song to be written was the bridge; the band was stuck in traffic on the way to the recording studio, inspiring Taylor to write about feeling of being "lost in the in-between.

[10] Mick Jacobs of Spectrum Culture noted Taylor's "staccato'd tenor" and described the track as "an intersection of Two Door Cinema Club, big band funk and Alex Clare's "Too Close".

"[10] Triple J music news producer Al Newstead highlighted the transitions from "smooth verses to a grittier, synth-ier chorus" as well as the hook's additional horns and "full-blown disco burn-out" at the end of the song.

[7] The song centers around "the theme of hope inside hopelessness and finding purpose and passion despite feeling unrooted,"[11] described through the metaphor of "an astronaut drifting through outer space and hitting the atmosphere.

Kramer, in the Genius interview, explained that in the chorus the band tried to "create this massive image of somebody collapsing into the atmosphere" through the use of metaphors; later on, Taylor stated that the outro featured two voices in contradiction, one despairing, the other insisting that "it's not hopeless," with the latter one eventually "winning.

[7] Gigwise journalist Julia Hope named it the band's best song thus far and a "feel-good, soulful anthem;" she also opined that its lyrics "seem to deliver a deeper meaning" upon further listening and called it "addictive from start to finish.

[13][11][18] Shot at Popsicle LA, it features the band performing choreography to the song in a large room illuminated by LED ceiling tiles.

[21][7][22] Half Alive made their late night television debut on March 14, 2019 with a choreographed performance of "Still Feel" with JA Collective on Jimmy Kimmel Live!