"qualm" received positive reviews from music critics. at metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". philip sherburne of "pitchfork" stated that "qualm" is a "spartan mix of techno, acid, ebm, and coldwave". nathan wesley of "the line of best fit" opined that the album is a "nocturnal, adventurous album that sees hauff take a progressive leap forward from her 2015 debut "discreet desires"." andrew moore of "clash" remarked that "qualm" is a "statement of romantic infatuation amongst an otherwise hash, twisted and raw landscape. a glance into the past and a look to the future."