Media Puzzle

Reviews

Media Puzzle New Racehorse cassette

You know something, folks? I thought I was getting sick of egg-punk-adjacent bands. I’m now realizing that I’ve been bored with egg-punk bands who thought that sounding like an egg-punk band was enough to make them an interesting egg-punk band. You understand what I mean, bud? While New Racehorse features some of the classic egghead tropes (DEVO-eqsue drum machine, chorus pedals, timid and mousy vocals, high-octave synthesizers), MEDIA PUZZLE does a great job utilizing their space by incorporating samples and a horn section (for only a handful of tracks, but it’s a substantial difference). And while this isn’t breaking ground for the genre, it’s quite clear that a lot of care and time went into the structuring and writing of these songs, with nuanced swaths of atmospheric soundscapes mixed with the familiar twangy guitars and topics of angst and unrequited love. Thank you, MEDIA PUZZLE, for restoring my faith in the power of the oval! Of course this comes straight from Australia, the modern kingdom of rock’n’roll.

Media Puzzle Intermission cassette

Garage punk with swagger from Lismore, Australia. These tracks are snappy, gritty, and full of hook-laden riffs that harken to youth rebellion and burnt-out nights. “The Scene” and “Bundy Vision” cut through fuzz with attitude. “How Do You Feel?” strips everything back to raw vocals and guitar, letting the emotional grit shine. This cassette feels intimate like hanging in practice spaces, like something made by friends.

Media Puzzle Strategic Living cassette

On their third full-length album, Lismore, Australia’s MEDIA PUZZLE delivers nine tracks full of good-timing garage fuzz. The songs are short, with only one going past the two-minute mark, and feature distorted vocals with hooky-as-can-be lyrics, like on the opener “Garage Sale” with a chorus of “Buckle up down the trail / Take myself to the garage sale.” Underneath these lyrics (that don’t take themselves seriously at all) is a doddering, ghoulish synth, buzzy guitars, and a simple drum machine. The only name I can find associated with this group is Tom Peter, so I’m assuming this is a solo project? Fun, goofy, catchy—great late-summer set of tunes on offer.