"Pills & Automobiles" received positive reviews from music critics, that complimented the song's catchiness and its production, noting it as a detachment from Brown standard R&B type of music, adapting his skills intotrap music. In the United States, "Pills & Automobiles" reached number 16 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number 46 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart, and was certified triple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its music video, shot atSplash Kingdom Waterpark, inCalifornia, was released on August 25, 2017, and displays a large pool party, where Brown and his dancing crew showcase some dancing choreographies.
On May 2, 2017, Chris Brown announced the initialHeartbreak on a Full Moon tracklist, and the song was not among the 40 songs announced,[3] but the album's release was later postponed. On June 11, 2017, following their performance at "HOT 97 Summer Jam 2017", a concert organized by American radioHot 97, Brown andA Boogie wit da Hoodie composed and recorded the song that night at Quad Studios, inNew York City, over a production byOG Parker, The Martianz andSmash David.[4]
In July 2017, Brown announced the upcoming release of singles from his album,[5] then releasing "Pills & Automobiles" and "Questions" on August 4, and August 16, respectively.
"Pills & Automobiles" is atrap up-tempo song, that runs for 4 minutes and 52 seconds, produced byOG Parker, The Martianz andSmash David. The song features guest appereances by American rappersYo Gotti,A Boogie wit da Hoodie, andKodak Black. Each artist on the track performs one verse, with Brown doing a chorus that starts with the repetition of the word "wet", and ends alternatingad-libs with amumbled "I'm just tryna change your life". Brown's voice on the track is edited withAuto-Tune, making it sound "ghosty" in his rapped verse, according to Brad Wete ofBillboard.[6] In the song, the artists talk about their relationship with reckless women.[7]
Writing forBillboard, Nerisha Penrose said that Brown's "vocals are bathed inAuto-Tune as he sings about getting high and having multiple women" and "leads into the song's catchy hook".[8] According to Lindsey India ofXXL, the track features Brown "in his trap music element, spitting some catchy, melodic rhymes over a candy-synthed club-friendly beat", and felt "Gotti comes in with a signature verse of his own, while A Boogie and Kodak provide some of their own crooning towards the end".[9]Complex reviewers compared the track to works by rapperTravis Scott.[10]
The accompanying music video was released on August 25, 2017. It was directed by Chris Brown, and filmed inSplash Kingdom Waterpark, in California, where the visual forJustin Bieber's 2012 song "Beauty and a Beat" was also filmed.[11] The video shows Brown and his dancers executing complex choreographies in a shallow pool, intercut with scenes of women twerking.[12] Yo Gotti appears on the poolside, being surrounded by women. A Boogie is in the pool, sitting on an inflatable float and holding a water gun as he raps, while Kodak Black, due to his house arrest at the time, was filmed in a different scenario, riding a dirt bike and posing in front of a luxurious orange car with half-naked women by his side.[13][14][15] "No one knew it was shot and that Chris Brown was on site that day," said Pamela Kennedy, a representative for park owners. "We understand the importance, especially for videographers and artists, to provide a suitable environment to shoot and do their craft."[16]
