The song was released through Dirty Hit on 19 July 2023, as a stand-alone single.
The melodic indie folk and alt-rock song was written by Beabadoobee and produced by Jacob Budgen.
[6][7][8] Consequence's Jo Vito called the track a "sentimental acoustic tune that captures all the candid magic of beabadoobee’s signature sound," writing that the song is "a simple tune with beautiful resonance," and further wrote that the song "almost feels like a classic acoustic ballad".
[6] Directed by Jacob Erland, the video for "The Way Things Go" was released alongside the song.
[10] The video stars Beabadoobee and the song's producer Jacob Budgen alongside a number of ballet dancers in what NME describes as an "ornately decorated room".