To promote the album, Blackery did live signings for it at HMV stores in the United Kingdom and also embarked on a European supporting tour in October 2018.

Blackery (born 1991) played in local bands since she was 18 until she decided to pursue a solo career in 2012, when she also opened her YouTube channel.

[3] Following the event, Blackery's manager stated that she gained attention from certain media as well as "renewed interest" from record labels he talked to previously.

[4] On 22 May, Blackery unveiled the album's title alongside its cover artwork, track listing and release date (31 August) on her Twitter account.

[15] In an August 2018 interview with HMV, Blackery declared that the she "wanted to channel all [her] emotions into [the album]" and that "every song handles the idea of friends dropping you or twisting things that you've said, especially in the public eye".

2", she ponders over her own part in her downfall, with Sussex Express calling it "an interesting counterpoint to the similarly named opening track".

[13][14] Blackery has stated that the aforementioned track is "the most personal song [she has] ever written" as it discusses the topic of mental health and "things [she has] gone through" as well as "mistakes [she has] made".

Sanders gave the record a 6/10 rating, calling it "a mixture of sounds from our pop worlds past" and "a solid welcoming", further adding that Blackery "[is] not here to make music-by-numbers".

[13] Sussex Express favourably compared the opening track to Lorde, "Dirt" to Tove Styrke and Dua Lipa and "Agenda" to Paramore's After Laughter (2017).

[14] The Argus affirmed that Blackery speaking "so honestly and openly about her struggles over the last year", made the album to be "gritty, hard-hitting, pop-fuelled".

[26] During the first week of September, Blackery performed live and signed copies of Villains at various HMV stores in the United Kingdom.

Blackery announced it on her Twitter account on 23 April 2018, being titled Europe Album Tour at the time.