It was released on 18 May 2023 as the lead single for the band's ninth studio album The Ballad of Darren.

[3] On Thursday 23rd May 2024, the work was nominated for the Best Song Musically and Lyrically Ivor Novello Award.

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the track 4 out of 5 stars, calling it far less counfounding and straightforward than "Go Out", the lead single of the band's previous record, The Magic Whip.

[4] Mollie Potter of The Edge gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, calling the track a "brilliant, crafty acknowledgement of their past triumphs, alongside a recognition of their growth as a band in the decades following their nineties heydey".

[8] In the United States, "The Narcissist" debuted on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart at number 37 on June 10, 2023.