Several publications listed "Guilty" as among the song titles written on a wall chart in the studio during the first week of the sessions,[3][4] and the track was finished by the end of January, according to the single's official press release.

In a feature interview in Uncut a month prior to the album's release, Flood described the recording process of "Guilty as "fascinating" and "one of the discovery songs" where he and Parish "could push forward into a new territory."

Flood was experimenting with contact microphones during the song's sessions, using them to record percussionist Kenrick Rowe's tom-tom drum and processing the signal through a whammy effects pedal.

[6] It has been described as "dark [and] dramatic" by Exclaim!,[7] with Consequence of Sound adding that the subject matter of drone strikes by the United States "[calls] out the unfairness in what we label justice" and "fits well within the core concept" behind The Hope Six Demolition Project;[8] Paste said the song's lyrics "frankly condemns what is believed to be justice and equality in the global perspective.

Les Inrockuptibles referred to the song "intense and lyrical" and said it was a "perfect bonus that extends an already impeccable record [The Hope Six Demolition Project].