[3] "Simulation" was the first track on the record to be created, produced by her long-term collaborator Richard Barratt (also known as DJ Parrot and Crooked Man), and released through Permanent Vacation in 2012.

[7] Following these releases, Murphy continued to collaborate intermittently with Barratt, working in "drips and drabs over the years",[3] on projects that would later develop into a full studio album.

"[10] Finishing the album's recording during the COVID-19 pandemic, Murphy described the experience of travelling from London to Sheffield during lockdown restrictions as "creepy", recalling "walking down deserted streets and being totally freaked out.

"[10] A departure from the art pop, trip hop, and bossa nova influences of her previous works, Róisín Machine marks a turn into dance-oriented club music.

[12] Murphy titled the album Róisín Machine to reflect her ongoing creative output, saying: "I'm always up to something, I've been directing videos and art-directing for years.

"[13] Vogue writer Liam Hess described the album title as "a reference to the tireless work Murphy has invested in maintaining her career as labels have come and gone.

"[14] Elaborating in an interview with the Official Charts Company, Murphy spoke of the difficulties in releasing a record independently, with audiences expecting a regular flow of content, saying: "That's where the machine comes in.

"[3] The album cover photography was shot by Adrian Samson, with the artwork created by Portuguese graphic designer Bráulio Amado.

[16] Murphy supplied Amado with reference images of Siouxsie Sioux, pop-punk and post-punk women, as well as vintage S&M and 70s and 80s Italian pornography.

[23] As a tie-in with National Album Day 2021, Róisín Machine was reissued with a blue and red splatter-effect vinyl,[24] limited to 4,000 copies.

Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis described Róisín Machine as "a sharper, more focused album than 2016's Take Her Up to Monto; one which reins in some, but not all, of its author's eccentricities [...] Certainly, it allows Murphy's talents to shine far more clearly than its sprawling predecessor.

"[34] Gianni Borrelli of Australia's 7NEWS praised the album for "pushing past the standard four-on-the-floor fare" on tracks "Game Changer" and "Kingdom of Ends", calling Róisín Machine "a career best of shimmering nu-disco she's been perfecting for the last decade".