It features guest appearances from Amaarae, Ayra Starr, Black Sherif, Debbie, India Arie, Jacob Collier, Ms Banks, Nao, Sampha, and Tendai, alongside production from Grades, Juls, P2J, Scribz Riley, and several other producers.

And it came up with a big chunk of this album.On 23 September 2022, Stormzy released the non-album single "Mel Made Me Do It" which many assumed would mirror the sound of the album.

[13] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis wrote that "This Is What I Mean sticks to subtlety and nuance" and that "it’s a mood that fits perfectly, even if it isn’t what people might be expecting".

[16] Helen Brown for The Independent compared Stormzy to Donny Hathaway, stating that he "has a voice that can reach through the darkness and steady your heart".

Brown wrote that the record "reflects all that in the way it puts Stormzy’s English vernacular afloat on a wider stage" while she praised the album's production.

[17] Sam Moore for NME wrote that the album has a "largely mellow and mature tone", however, "there is a small sense of disappointment that we don’t get to hear Stormzy let loose on the mic more often".

[19] Rolling Stone UK's Emmanuel Onapa wrote that "This Is What I Mean marks a significant departure from his sound" and that throughout the record, Stormzy "provides a deeply personal and powerful reflection of the tranquillity, joy and blissfulness" which stems from his "Christian faith and as a black man navigating Britain".

[21] Will Hodgkinson of The Times described the album as a "major achievement" with atypical guest stars from "contemporary Afrobeat, soul and R&B",[22] while David Smyth of the Evening Standard called it Stormzy's "most downbeat, intimate collection" that "very much sounds like a team effort[, t]hough the feel is insular and understated".