The track was written by Karen Poole, Matt Schwartz and Paul Harris, whilst production was handled by the latter two collaborators.

An accompanying music video was directed by Christian Larson in Soho, London; it featured Minogue walking around the streets during day and night, and other scenes of her dancing in a small room.

[3] "Timebomb" was then released on 25 May 2012, three days before Minogue's 44th birthday; Digital Spy editor Christian Tobin premiered the track with a 90-second preview.

[1] "Timebomb" was released as a stand-alone single on 25 May 2012 by Parlophone, and distributed in both physical and digital formats; it later appeared as a mini CD on Minogue's box set compilation K25: Time Capsule in October 2012.

[15] Cameron Adams from Herald Sun described the track as "upbeat pop" that hinted a "dark and dirty electro feel.

[20] Digital Spy's Robert Copsey labelled the track as "disco-pop", whilst St Asaph described the tempo as "energetic".

[21][15] Staff members at American music website Idolator compared the song's "apocalyptic"-theme to the songs "Till the World Ends" by American singer Britney Spears, and "2012 (It Ain't the End)" by British singer Jay Sean; the review also said "In any case, it's a nice return to the seductive minimalism that made 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' such disco-ball dynamite.

Copsey enjoyed how the dance composition was similar to Minogue's previous work, describing it as "back to basics", and concluding "In that time she has rarely strayed from the very centre of the dancefloor, so it's hardly surprisingly that 'Timebomb' feels like a gentle jog in the park for her".

[24] American journalist and personality Perez Hilton labelled "Timebomb" as a "fast-paced, electrified, club track dropped into our laps!".

[26] Glenn Gamboa, writing for the magazine Newsday, labelled it a "pure fizzy dance pop... and a chorus you can't get out of your head.

[20] Cameron Adams wrote for the Australian newspaper Herald Sun, and stated that "[w]hile it is not instant as most Kylie singles, repeated listens implant the 'woooh' hook firmly.

"[19] In a separate review at PopCrush, Amy Sciarretto named "Timebomb" one of the best dance songs of 2012 and concluded, "The 'Timebomb' may be ticking, but the remaining minutes of Minogue's career are not.

"[30] Virtel also wrote as a columnist for the website NewNowNext.com, hosted by Logo TV; he listed the track at number six on Minogue's Best Songs, and stated "'Timebomb' is a note-perfect, three-minute pop bullet; a dance anthem that wriggles into your nervous system and throbs even harder upon every new listen.

[49] It also reached number 17 on both of Billboards Dance/Electronic Digital Songs and the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, and became Minogue's fastest-selling single in the US since "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in 2001.

[53][54] The music video was directed and edited by Christian Larson, and was filmed on a rainy day through Soho, London; in early 2012, images of Minogue wearing a heart-shaped jacket and denim hot pants surfaced online.

"[57] In an interview on Alan Carr: Chatty Man, she commented that the black minidress was purchased at a lingerie store, and further expressed discomfort saying, "That was a very cheeky little outfit.

After the shoot, she leaves the studio, wearing the leather jacket with a red heart featured on the single's artwork, and starts singing the song.

She then walks through various London back-alleys, bumping into a man carrying a boombox, and taking a phone off a café table—showcasing a camera angle inspired by Instagram—and arrives at a nightclub.

[61] WhatCulture gave it a positive review for the song itself, but noted the lack of promotion on the single, stating, "Maybe Kylie's management are more bothered about the K25 Antitour and upcoming Greatest Hits collection, which isn't a bad thing at all, but it's a shame a song and video as great as 'Timebomb' will probably be long forgotten in the pop aftermath a few months later.

[63] Similarly, an editor from The Huffington Post wrote that "[t]he pop princess [...] looks flawless in the new clip, strutting along busy thoroughfares in London's SoHo neighborhood in a pair of hot pants, before ducking into an alley and stripping down to a barely-there webbed dress.

Minogue uploaded an official live video of the track on her YouTube channel, which featured her in a red dress singing in front of an infrastructure and back-up dancers.