It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in September 2021.

[4] Frontman Caleb Shomo noted that "The Past Is Dead" was one of the earliest songs written for the Below album.

[5] A vinyl press of the single was released in August 2021, featuring "Skin" as the track's B-side and is limited to 500 copies.

[6] The song is noted for maintaining the high energy commonly present in their music, but emphasizing emotive and melodic vocals rather than aggressive screaming.

[10] Lyrically, the song is about the inability to move on from traumatic situations in life,[1] inspired by Shomo's own mental strain he experienced over the course of 2020.