Originally hesitant to release a studio version, Chappell Roan's "The Subway," arrived in July with her usual counterpart Dan Nigro assisting to bring the track to life.

Commercial success

• The single debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• "The Subway" became Chappell Roan's highest-charting Hot 100 hit of her career.

• It earned Chappell Roan her second U.K. No. 1 hit, debuting atop the Official Singles Chart.

Cultural impact

• The music video for "The Subway" was directed by Amber Grace Johnson and shot on 35mm film in New York City.

• The New York Transit Museum added the song to its screen credits for utilizing restored antique subway cars in the music video.

• Chappell Roan performed the song live at major festivals including Lollapalooza 2024 and Primavera Sound 2025.

Critical response

• Consequence noted that producer Dan Nigro "floods her vocals with space and reverb and lets a clean electric guitar do a lot of the talking," creating a sound closer to early '90s acts like The Cranberries and The Sundays. Read full review

• NPR Music observed the song pulls from '90s jangle-pop acts like The Sundays and The Cranberries, with Roan's vocals wailing at the song's end "not unlike the latter's late lead singer Dolores O'Riordan." Read full review

• Slant Magazine highlighted how concerns about replicating live vocal performance were "largely assuaged, especially during the track's sublime outro," with Roan's "lilting crack in her voice recalling that of Cocteau Twins's Elizabeth Fraser." Read full review