FrontwomanElly Jackson told Steve Harris ofXfm radio that the song is "about telling someone how you feel regardless of what you get back, and not waiting to find out if they want you or not."[2] The track is heavily influenced by the title theme of the 1980s animated television seriesPole Position,[3] with the music video paying homage to the show as well.
"In for the Kill" received generally positive reviews from music critics.Digital Spy reviewer David Balls described the song as "slightly odd, endlessly exciting" and stated that it "manages to sound quaintly old-school and positively futuristic all at the same time."[4] Francis Jolley of Clickmusic praised it as "80s synth pop at its most glorious", naming it "the most exciting single around."[5] In a review forExclaim!, Cam Lindsay wrote that the track "features some icy, high-pitched woos from Jackson and pulse-pounding beats" which make it sound "delicious".[6]MSN Music called it a "damn fine electro pop humdinger" and complimented Jackson's powerful vocals which "hit the ground running and burst with effervescence from the opening note."[7]
In October 2011,NME placed the song at number 64 on its list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[8]
"In for the Kill" debuted at number 11 on theUK Singles Chart for the week ending 28 March 2009.[9] Four weeks after its debut, the song peaked at number two with 51,724 copies sold.[10][11] The single spent four consecutive weeks at number two, before falling to number three with sales of 44,310 copies.[12] In January 2011, "In for the Kill" was named the 11th best-selling download in the United Kingdom of all time.[13] The song had sold 875,523 copies in the UK as of July 2014.[14] In Ireland, the track debuted at number 47 on 16 April 2009 and peaked at number 13, four weeks later.[15][16]
"In for the Kill" was less successful in continental Europe, charting at number 43 in Belgium, number 53 in Austria, number 68 in Slovakia and number 92 in Germany.[17][18] It nevertheless reached number 11 in Norway,[17] as well as number nine on theEuropean Hot 100 Singles chart.[19] The single debuted at number 50 in Australia on 29 June 2009, but fell off the chart the next week. On 13 July 2009 it re-entered the chart at number 46, peaking at number 36, two weeks later.[20] In the United States, "In for the Kill" topped theHot Dance Club Songs chart on the issue dated 27 November 2010, becoming the duo's second number-one song on the chart after "Bulletproof".[21]
The first music video for "In for the Kill" was directed by Kinga Burza and produced by Sarah Tognazzi.[22] The 1980s-inspired video features Jackson singing the song while driving aToyota MR2. It begins with Jackson driving down a dark road at night. At the beginning of the chorus, she puts on a pair of sunglasses, removing them at the chorus' end. During the instrumental section of the song, she waves her hand out of the car window, at which point the road ahead and the cloud-covered moon is visible. Jackson continues to drive until she comes across another version of herself standing in the middle of the road. The video concludes with Jackson driving the car, her eyes glowing white.
A second video was released on 7 October 2010 to promote the US release of the single, featuring a slightly altered version of the song. The video was directed by LEGS and filmed at theHotel Chelsea inNew York City.[23][24]
Dubstep musicianSkream produced the most well-known remix of the song, titled the Let's Get Ravey remix, which was included on the CD single and digital EP. The remix was featured during the closing credits of theEntourage episode "Hair", originally aired 8 August 2010,[25] as well as in television commercials for the 2009 fantasy video gameBayonetta and in the trailer for the 2012 filmDredd.[26][27] It is also part of the soundtrack toMatchstick Productions' 2011 ski filmAttack of la Niña.[28]
Skream's remix received positive reviews from music critics.The Observer reviewer Gareth Grundy called it a "proper remix, the kind that nudges the original song into thrilling new territory."[29] Cam Lindsay ofExclaim! wrote that while the original version "features some icy, high-pitched wails from Jackson and pulse-pounding beats [...] it's the 'Let's Get Ravey Mix' [...] that really kills it."[6] Skream also produced an alternate remix, That Doesn't Sound Like Skream's Remix, which appeared on the physical and digital EP releases of "In for the Kill".[30][31]
French musician Lifelike's self-titled remix, which is over six minutes long, was released as a12-inch single and digital download by French electronic music labelKitsuné,[32][33] and it was also included on the 2009 compilation albumKitsuné Maison Compilation 7.[34] The official remix of the song for the US featuring rapperKanye West premiered exclusively on theEntertainment Weekly website on 12 October 2010,[35] and was released digitally on 2 November.[36]
"In for the Kill" has beensampled by several rappers.[41]Atlanta rapperDonnis sampled it on his song "For the Kill" from his 2010 mixtapeFashionably Late.[42] Later that year, it was sampled onFrench Montana's song "Goin' In for the Kill" featuringChinx Drugz and Cheeze, which appears on French Montana's mixtapeCoke Boys.[41][43] The track was sampled by production duoCool & Dre for rapperGame's "The Kill" from his 2011 mixtapePurp & Patron.[44] In April 2011, Jackson confirmed thatDr. Dre had sampled "In for the Kill" for his upcoming albumDetox.[45]UK drill rapperTion Wayne sampled the song's chorus in his 2022 single "IFTK", with La Roux also listed as a lead artist; it reached a peak of number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.[46][47]
