It was released on May 26, 2017, through Astralwerks as the second promotional single from her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017).

[3]"Strangers" incorporates a 1980s-inspired production,[4] with echoed synthesizers and strong drumline[5][6] Analyzing its lyrical content Alexia Shouneya from Billboard wrote, "Strangers is about two women longing for one another,"[7] while Christina Lee of Idolator opined, "The lyrics actually tell a straightforward story about a dissolved relationship, and the loneliness that quickly follows.

[9] AllMusic's journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that "same-sex love songs remain a rarity in the pop music of the 2010s, and ... that's a sly reveal of how Halsey represents a generational shift".

[10] In her review for Billboard, Alexia Shouneya noted "in the first verse alone, she uses the female pronoun four times, once in every line, making it impossible to miss, skim over or interpret as anything other than what it was meant to be: a strong, unapologetic acknowledgement of lesbian and bisexual women.

"[11] In Pitchfork, Katherine St. Asaph said the song "shimmers and yearns like a recent Tegan and Sara cut" and "contains the album's most nuanced lyrics, the coupling that's most promising yet most out of reach.