"Following last year's Intermission EP, he paused his habits-minute-long songs, distorted vocals, barrelling rhythms-before they could constitute a formula, and instead pursued new methods wherever possible for media puzzle's fourth album. The resulting 23 minutes are a burst of nonstop creativity and a joyful lack of self-imposed obligations-the type of fun that harkens back to the unpretentious, unfiltered, anxiety-free days of playing with art supplies as a kid."
"“Knowledge,” the album's most immediate single, shows how they pull it off. Wrapped around a rubbery bassline that Peter ran through a guitar amp and played straight into a laptop, the song is confident and brassy, sauntering around as Kellie Eden's trumpet cascades from above and the band's co-vocalists provide pop harmonies. Like Beck's “The New Pollution” or the Flaming Lips' “The W.A.N.D.,“ the New Racehorse opener puts a retro spin on fuzzy indie rock that goes down easy."
"media puzzle consider their instruments like they're rethinking the format and pacing of their songs, but never in lieu of a sugary hook. They still scoop out choruses like they unlocked the coin-operated candy dispensers at a laundromat: the guitars bisecting in “New Pet,” the layers of echo in ""
New Racehorse is a fast, creative album that avoids fixed formulas by pausing earlier habits and pursuing new methods. The music keeps a relentless pace while still feeling like a deep breath and exhale. “Knowledge” pairs a rubbery bassline with distorted vocals and brassy confidence, using a guitar-amp-processed bassline routed into a laptop. Kellie Eden’s trumpet and co-vocalist pop harmonies shape a retro-leaning opener that blends fuzzy indie rock with polished immediacy. The band treats instruments as tools for rethinking song format and pacing, while maintaining sugary hooks and chorus-driven songwriting.
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