[8][9] The songwriting process was more collaborative than on Keepsake, as Hatchie was open to working with more co-writers and adding to songs started by or with Agius.

[10] The production on Giving the World Away updates Hatchie's shoegaze sound with elements of dance music, inspired by British group Saint Etienne.

[12] The album's cover artwork comes from the music video for "This Enchanted", which was directed by Agius and shows Hatchie in angel wings referencing Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film Romeo + Juliet.

[20] Brady Brickner-Wood of Pitchfork wrote that the album "explores [Hatchie's anxieties and insecurities] with an exacting, if not heavy-handed, touch, mushrooming her once sparkly shoegaze into a brasher, more ambitious sound.

"[23] For NME, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen described Giving the World Away as "an enchanting second album that sounds as good as it feels – a brave statement of self and survival in the face of uncertainty.