[7] Parks began writing the album before releasing Collapsed in Sunbeams (2021), and it was recorded over 18 months in "sporadic bursts" between her touring commitments.

[11] The album's fourth single, "Pegasus", featuring American singer Phoebe Bridgers was released on 10 May 2023, alongside a music video.

[14] On 7 November 2023, Parks released the lead single for the deluxe edition of the album, "Jasmine", a cover of the Jai Paul song.

[19] In a five-star review, Jamie MacMillan of Dork called My Soft Machine "as close to perfection as it gets" and a "mark of how good this album is that it is hard to pick a standout moment", although highlighting "Pegasus" for being "an exquisite mash-up" of two artists and "Dog Rose" as it "soars into the heavens".

[23] Cheri Amour of The Arts Desk commented that the tracks "Weightless" and "Impurities" have a "feeling of lessening and cleansing", as well as a "lounge-like quality", which continues "Pegasus".

[24] John Murphy of musicOMH summarised the album as a set of "low-key, introspective songs that would also sound perfect on a summer's day" with "some surprises to be had"—the spoken-word introduction "Bruiseless" and the "hard-rock guitar towards the end" of "Devotion".

However, found there to be "unbridled confidence and general badassery" on the tracks "Weightless" and "Puppy" and "admirable gratitude for life in the face of some of its greatest challenges".