The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and the vocals of lead singer Katie Stelmanis and compared the band to artists such as Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, Fever Ray, Zola Jesus, and Depeche Mode.

The music video, directed by Yelena Yemchuk, shows the band portraying mysterious figures wandering through a forest while a group of women engage in rituals reminiscent of the opening scenes of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

"[15] The Guardian's Michael Hann agreed, stating that although the band "have been lumped in with the synth-gothisms" of Zola Jesus and Fever Ray, "there's a cleanliness and sharpness about [Austra] that belies those associations.

"[18] Similarly, Benjamin Boles of Now commented that the band's "dark electronic production and soaring vocals are often compared to acts like Fever Ray and Zola Jesus, but [...] Stelmanis brings a more musical sensibility to the formula, even if it's still miles away from mainstream pop", praising the album as an "extremely strong debut".

[20] Charlie Frame of Clash expressed, "The songwriting and production are strong throughout and often Stelmanis acquires a surprisingly rich amount of warmth from her dramatically sweeping sound that's rarely heard in this scene.

"[21] Andy Beta of Spin opined that the band's "seedy synth pop more often recalls Kate Bush's dramatic art songs and the Knife's ghostly techno-pop [...] But from surging, operatic opener 'Darken Her Horse' to closing piano ballad 'Lose It', Stelmanis' voice and vision are mostly her own.

"[19] Arnold Pan of PopMatters called the album "promising" and characterized Stelmanis' "eccentric" voice as "[u]nique and resembling nothing except itself", but remarked that "Feel It Break as a whole is a little uneven because Austra still seems to be looking to strike the right balance between its different parts.