"[5] The standard edition of Build a Problem consists of mostly unheard material, except for "When", "Rainbow", and "Cool Girl", all of which were uploaded to her YouTube channel in 2016, 2018, and 2020, respectively.

The deluxe edition of Build a Problem contains bonus tracks composed of song demos that were released on dodie's YouTube channel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February 2021, the album release was further pushed back to 26 March 2021, due to the pandemic and unspecified issues regarding vinyl production caused by Brexit.

[citation needed] On 26 May 2021, dodie made her American TV debut performing "Hate Myself" on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

"[12] Luke Holland of The Guardian called the song "a quietly devastating late contender for single of the year" and "so soaringly heartbreaking it makes you want to find whoever made her this sad, slap their Pret out of their hands and tell them in no uncertain terms that they're a stupid idiothead.

[14] The "powerful" LGBT anthem is "the beginning of the six songs on this album that are tied together seamlessly by [a] beautiful 13-piece string section" that dodie composed.

[20] David Smyth, writing for the Evening Standard, praised dodie for having a sound that is "still intimate, her voice small and soft, and so understated that one title is simply a full stop" while also working in intricate production.

[24] Caleb Campbell of The Line of Best Fit heralded the album, saying that "Build A Problem indeed finds dodie at her most open and fully realised" that is appealing to both old and new fans.

[1] In a more mixed review for Pitchfork, Ashley Bardhan said that "Clark often finds herself swallowed by misery and bitter self-effacement in the lyrics" and "prioritizing lush vocal harmonies".