"Tonite" was written by band members Al Doyle and James Murphy, who jointly performed all the instruments for the song.
Murphy served as the mixer and producer and performed synthesizer, drums, and percussion, while also being the vocalist.
Many different pieces of equipment were used for the song; ARP Odyssey, Jupiter 4, EMS Synthi AKS, and Roland SH-5 synthesizers were used as well as the Synare electronic drum kit.
[5] The song was previously premiered live during the band's shows at the Brooklyn Steel venue earlier in April 2017.
[6] The studio version of "Tonite" was premiered on August 16, 2017, on Zane Lowe's radio show on Beats 1.