The song explores the "bad habit" of silence—holding back feelings for a crush, only to realize later they liked the person back.

Lacy wears a white shirt with an "S" on the front and a target on the back. This outfit also appears in his "Mercury" video, indicating a continuous narrative for the Gemini Rights album cycle.

Lacy produced the track. His frequent collaborator, Fousheé , co-wrote the lyrics, and Tyler, The Creator advised on the song's beat change toward the end. The Inescapable Charm of Steve Lacy's “Bad Habit”

Lacy often uses GarageBand and an iRig to create his sound.

Filmed in a color-shifting void, the isolation highlights his internal monologue and "excruciatingly ordinary" self-doubt.