[1] The song was written and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Justin Raisen, with additional songwriting provided by Ferreira, Daniel Nigro, and Jordan Benik.

An accompanying music video for the track was filmed in Compton, California, and directed by Grant Singer; it was premiered through Ssense on April 16, 2014.

[5] "I Blame Myself" was written and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Justin Raisen, with additional songwriting provided by Ferreira, Daniel Nigro, and Jordan Benik.

[6] Ferreira commented that she had co-written the track during summer 2013; she sings "10 years old without a voice / I feel like nothing's really changed / Now I'm just a little older" during the second verse, which she revealed was inspired by a two-year period in which she did not speak because she felt like she had had nothing to offer.

[14] "I Blame Myself", in addition to the tracks "24 Hours" and "Love in Stereo", blend "tenderized vocal hooks [and] chiming synth melodies", which reminded Lauren Martin from Fact of 1980s music.

[9] With his similar observation, Dan Keenan from Impact noted that the "chiming synths" that Martin recognized developed into the "undeniably cathartic" refrain.

[15] John Preston from Polari believed that the track was a worthy substitute for fans that "mourn the overall departure" of the mainstream pop sound of Ferreira's 2010 single "One", and raved that it was an example of "airy and gleaming brilliance".

and "You think you know me so well" for painting Ferreira as an exemplar for "bullied high school weirdos", and appreciating that the lines "I know it's not your fault / That you don't understand / I blame myself" for acknowledging her own wrongdoings with the intention of starting anew.

She praised the verses for verbalizing self-confidence issues that are often associated with young women, with particular acclaim being placed on the lines "I'm just a face without a choice / Trust you'd never like to guess what I think above the shoulders."

The video depicts an ongoing conflict between gangs, which Ferreira attempts to remedy upon her arrival; she is eventually taken in for questioning by law enforcement,[22] although she resists her arrest and later escapes from jail.

[25] Ferreira was criticized on social media networks for allegedly objectifying African-American people in the music video, with whom she was seen dancing with during several scenes interspersed throughout the clip.

On her Facebook account, Ferreira commented that "I never have and never will look at any human being as a prop" and criticized false assumptions of the "rich little white girl exploiting the black people and the ghetto".