Doris features guest appearances from Vince Staples, Tyler, the Creator, Domo Genesis, Frank Ocean, SK La' Flare, Casey Veggies, Mac Miller, and RZA.

Production was primarily handled by Sweatshirt under the pseudonym randomblackdude, alongside Christian Rich, Tyler, the Creator, the Neptunes, BadBadNotGood, Matt Martians, Samiyam, Frank Ocean, and RZA.

Doris received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised Sweatshirt's lyricism and rhyme schemes along with the gritty underground production.

On February 8, 2012, rumors spread around the internet that Earl Sweatshirt had returned to the US from Coral Reef Academy in Samoa when a video of him surfaced on YouTube with a preview of a new song.

[5] Three hours later, Sweatshirt reached 50,000 followers and released a new song on his website, entitled "Home", which ends with "...and I'm back.

[8][9] Doris was reported to feature vocals or production from Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Om'Mas Keith, Thundercat, Domo Genesis, the Neptunes, Christian Rich, Vince Staples, BadBadNotGood, Pharrell Williams, Samiyam, The Alchemist, Casey Veggies and The Internet.

[20][23] The song's instrumentation consists of a tumbling piano loop, a low-octave, fuzzy bass, drums, vocals, and other sampled sounds.

[24] The song went through many different incarnations and mixes before being completed; the original version was lost after Earl's laptop's hard drive crashed.

[25] "Hive" was written, recorded, produced and engineered in the living room of Syd tha Kyd and Matt Martians' old home in Marina del Rey, California; the music was programmed in Reason.

[33] On August 9, 2013, Sweatshirt made his national television debut, performing the Neptunes-produced "Burgundy" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

The tour ran from October 6 through November 9, 2013, and featured supporting acts by Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis and Vince Staples.

[36] William Gruger of Billboard said, "What follows is Doris, a slow (rarely rising above 70 bpm), introspective album where Earl Sweatshirt combats pressures when returning to a life of stardom after time spent at a Samoa-based boarding school for troubled youths".

[48] Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian said, "This is knockabout punchline rap made into high art, a psychedelic visionquest to the taqueria on a skateboard".

[40] Randall Roberts of Los Angeles Times said, "Doris features instrumental interludes, expanded mid-song diversions and enough surprise to warrant repeated—obsessive—evaluation".

[42] Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX said, "Where he has yet to master the art of making complete songs ("Uncle Al" clocks in under a minute long) and his diction tends to lacks clarity, Earl paints pictures in a manner more poetic than just about all within his peer group".

[50] Simon Vozick-Levinson of Rolling Stone said, "His rhyme schemes are as complex as ever, and these resolutely unpop beats – sticky-icky sample collages from producers including Pharrell, RZA and himself – are an ideal canvas.

[45] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Doris is unsettled, messy, and takes a bit to sort, but there are codes to crack and rich rewards to reap, so enter with an open mind and prepare to leave exhausted".

[51] Michael Madden of Consequence said, "It's a work as notable for its technical achievements as its nuanced themes, and that's almost as impressive considering that so many artists lack in one or both of those fields".

[44] Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine said, "Earl may be one of the quieter voices on Doris, but his dense, evocative sensibility dominates the album both lyrically and musically".

[47] Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Spin said, "The record is at its best when he simply shifts into verbal overdrive, spitting gnarled bullets on the phenomenal robber's fable "Centurion" or the weedy hallucinogen "Guild"".

Club said, "It often feels less like a finished work than a sketchbook, a jumble of beats and raps (about half of them from guests) with little in the way of hooks, choruses, or general songcraft to tie them together".