It was written by both musicians along with Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams from The Neptunes and recorded for what was then considered to be released as her same-titled ninth studio album.

Produced by Hugo and Williams,[1] the song was released as the album's leading single on August 31, 2020, coinciding with Monica and Brandy's appearances on the webcast battle series Verzuz.

"[6] Stereogum editor Tom Breihan described "Trenches" as "a slinky relationship track that does a pretty nice job walking the line between '90s and right-now sounds.

Editor Jem Aswad wrote: "We've gotta say this song snared us when Monica premiered it the other night on her Verzuz battle with Brandy — and while the beat and the Lil Baby cameo are both hot, what's really shining through on this song is the gorgeous melody, which is intricate and tricky to sing, but of course Monica delivers with confidence and ease, dropping in some life lessons along the way.

"[9] Upon release, "Trenches" debuted at number 32 on Billboard's Hot 100 component Digital Song Sales, becoming Monica's first entry on the chart since 2008's "Still Standing.