Godflesh avoided interviews in the wake of Post Self, hoping to retain some of the album's purity and give listeners a chance to digest the music in a vacuum.

Musically, Post Self explores less of the metal side of Godflesh and instead focuses on the band's industrial and post-punk elements; thematically, it covers anxiety, fear, loss of self and similar topics.

Tonally, Post Self is centered more on atmosphere and noise rather than the discrete riffs of its predecessor, A World Lit Only by Fire;[7] Joe DiVita, a writer for Loudwire, said that the music "hinges less on burly, cement-cracking grooves from the overdriven distortion of Green's bass and more on lurching low-end that provides the foundation for abrasive layers of swirling, droning notes.

"[8] Multiple critics compared the album to previous Godflesh releases, most notably 1999's Us and Them for its experimentation and hip hop influence,[7] and 1992's Pure for its sparse, desolate atmosphere.

[9] As Broadrick wrote in the album's original press release, Post Self was an exercise in mood, compiling previous experiments under the Godflesh title into a new, more coherent package.

[10][11][12] As Stephen Wyatt said in his review of the album for Under the Radar, Post Self balances the shoegaze qualities of Jesu with Godflesh's mechanical beats and thick guitar sounds.

[17][10][18] PopMatters saw the album's opening and title track as a microcosm of Post Self at large, saying that the song's structure "begins to transform, becoming more abstract as each second passes.

This introduction presents the narrative that Post Self follows, stripping away its metal side and focusing on atmosphere, industrial structures and electronic elements to a higher degree.

"[19] In keeping with that progression, Post Self expands into many experimental territories; "Mirror of Finite Light" discards the conventional metal heaviness of the first three tracks in favor of drone,[11] "Be God" is bleak and reminiscent of doom metal,[8] "The Cylic End" follows an unusual structure and employs spectral guitar tones,[20] "Pre Self" and "Mortality Sorrow" showcase the abrasive industry of Godflesh and the final two tracks return to hip hop and introspective experimentation.

[32] Supported by two singles, the title track and "Be God",[33][34] Post Self placed on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart; it was Godflesh's second album to do so after A World Lit Only by Fire.

"[11] The PopMatters review for Post Self was highly positive, praising how the album remains true to Godflesh's sound while still breaking new ground.

[19] Similarly, Resident Advisor writer Andrew Ryce highlighted the album's ability to simultaneously reference old Godflesh material while still innovating.

[47] For both Revolver's and Rolling Stone's year-end summaries, Dan Epstein and Kory Grow respectively appreciated how the bleak, "dystopian" soundscapes of Post Self managed as much impact as the band's earlier, heavier material.