It was officially released on 4 June 2021 through Elektra and Parlophone Records, as the lead single from her debut mixtape To Hell with It.

"Break It Off" is an uptempo,[1] "heartbreak-infused" drum and bass[2] and experimental pop song with "sugary" vocals[3] from PinkPantheress, who wrote and produced the song while she was at university,[4][5] which samples the drum and bass song "Circles" by English DJ Adam F.[6] DIY's Chris Taylor described it as "a tale of late-night yearning", and Steffanee Wang of Nylon called it "a dizzying mix of breakbeats and edgy pop elements".

[7][8] After PinkPantheress posted a clip of the song to TikTok in March, it went viral and was used in over 500,000 videos on the platform.

[9] David Renshaw of The Fader called "Break It Off" "an algorithm-breaking bolt from the blue, destined to be played on repeat throughout the summer months".

[6] Douglas Greenwood of i-D called the song an "earworm" while Complex's Seamus Fay described it as a "fast-paced, oddball single".