Joe Keery's second studio album as Djo, titled
Decide, spawned the single "
End of Beginning" (2024), which became the sixth song with the most streams in 2024. It charted in 41 countries, including in the United States with a peak at number 11, and received
certifications in nearly 20 nations. Keery then started working on its follow-up. In early January 2025, the magazine
Dork reported the possibility of new music from the singer coming soon. On January 24, 2025, Keery announced his third studio album as Djo, titled
The Crux, and revealed its cover artwork and track listing, in which the second song is titled "Basic Being Basic". The track was released independently through
AWAL as the album's
lead single on the same date, alongside an accompanying
lyric video. The video sees a group of people having lunch and talking before they leave and Keery appears looking at the camera. The singer subsequently declared that he would be embarking on the
Back on You World Tour, which took place in North America and Europe in the same year and included the American rock band
Post Animal as the supporting act. On April 11, 2025, the track was added to
Fortnite Festival as a purchasable Jam Track. == Composition ==