Start Listening To: media puzzle

Fast, satirical and constantly shifting, media puzzle push beyond their lo-fi roots into something looser, louder and harder to pin down.

What began as a joke in regional New South Wales has quickly evolved into something far more expansive. Now based in Melbourne and operating as a full band, media puzzle are moving away from the tightly wound, drum machine-driven chaos of their early releases and into a broader, more unpredictable sound. With fourth album New Racehorse marking a clear shift in approach, Tom and co. are embracing live instrumentation, jangle-pop textures and a more open-ended way of writing, without losing the sharp humour and restless energy that defines the project.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make? 

Yeah! My name’s Tom, and I make music under the name media puzzle. The project started as a joke, but slowly became more of a full-time thing. It was born in Lismore, NSW, and slowly became a band over 2 years. Most of us have just relocated to Melbourne, VIC, as of late March. The band consists of Kellie Eden (trumpet/synth), Oli Clarke (drums), Eden Yeigh (guitar), and Solomon Jones (bass). I’d describe the music as fast, satirical, and often politically charged. 

For anyone coming to media puzzle for the first time, how would you introduce the project and the world it sits in?

It often gets classified within the egg-punk world, which I don’t disagree with at all. But that subgenre can also be hard to explain to people sometimes. I often resort to synth-punk or the “Y’know DEVO..? Close to that maybe?”. The music has definitely changed over the last couple of years, but it’s always been lo-fi, fast, and gritty. 

New Racehorse is your fourth album already, but it’s being framed as a kind of rebirth. What actually shifted for you while making it? 

Almost everything has changed. Every single release before this album has followed the same kind of formula. One-minute songs, drum machines, very, very distorted vocals, clean bass, etc… I’ve kind of thrown most of that out the window. Adding a drum kit was probably the biggest switch-up and a first for the project. I was listening to a lot of Jangle Pop while making the album, and because of this, the new album is absolutely rinsed in chorus. It was never intentional, but what I enjoyed most was letting go of the typical pop kinda structure I’d always been used to. So many things changed, but for me it still sounds like media puzzle, which is cool. 

The record touches on big themes like technology, ego and modern existence. Did those ideas come in consciously, or did they reveal themselves as you were writing? 

It wasn't until I had finished the album, put all the lyrics together, and read them back to myself, that I felt there was a common theme. It was done entirely accidentally. It’s all stuff I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about, but nothing I ever planned to put out all in one thing. 

Your earlier work had that scuzzy, drum machine-led feel, whereas this sounds more expansive. What pushed you to open things out sonically?

After putting out our most recent EP, ‘Intermission’, I reflected a lot on the current discography and worried that it all sounded the same. I also worried that releasing anything after that would be too tricky to keep new and engaging, without completely changing the sound. So I took the easy route and literally just changed the sound.

‘Knowledge’ feels sharp and a bit confrontational, especially with that satirical angle. What sparked that song? 

Finishing university is a weird experience. I went through a period where I thought I had it all sorted out, and that I was pretty on top of my craft. Not long after graduating, I realised it was quite the opposite, actually. It’s definitely a universal experience. The song is absolutely a reflection of myself, but also a bit of a poke at people who treat you a certain way because they think they know better than you, and the frustration that comes with that. 

You’ve been compared to everything from Suicide to Uranium Club, and now even early Beck and Dry Cleaning. Do you think about those reference points, or are they just things people project onto the music? 

I think it’s a bit of both. Obvsiously I have no say in what people project onto the music, but it’s always really fascinating to see it from someone else's perspective. Beck's first album, “Mellow Gold”, was a massive inspiration for me while writing this album. It’s the young, careless, and satirical attitude all over his album that I love so much. The Uranium Club are one of my favourite bands too, so that comparison meant a lot to me. Those guys definitely influenced this next album a lot as well. 

The project started as something more solo-led. How has bringing in a full band shaped the way media puzzle sounds now? 

It’s definitely changed a heap! The original idea of adding a drum kit to this next album came from envisioning older songs and putting a drum kit on them live. We used to play the whole set with a drum machine. One day, while rehearsing, we all had a moment where we mutually agreed it sounded way better with an actual kit live. While most of the songs are written in my bedroom, there were also a couple of songs on the previous EP that came from jams in the rehearsal room, which is always awesome. 

You’ve been touring a lot over the past year, including SXSW Sydney and shows with Regurgitator. Has playing live changed the way you approach writing or recording?

Yeah - We’re lucky enough to have been trialling a bunch of songs from this next album on the road for the past 6 months. It’s always helpful to see how crowds react to different songs and sections. When you play them over and over again to different people, it’s easier to reassure yourself on what works and what doesn't in a song. 

The name media puzzle comes from a Melbourne Cup-winning racehorse. Does that idea of speed, chaos or competition still tie into what you’re doing now? 

Speed and chaos are absolutely correct. Maybe less so for competition. The whole album is based around the horse, though. I owe the media puzzle name to one of my favourite bands, Vintage Crop, who are from Geelong. Vintage Crop was another horse that won the Melbourne Cup a few years before media puzzle. I liked their name so much I decided I wanted one of my own…

There’s a sense of humour running through your music, even when the themes get heavy. How important is that balance for you? 

Personally, I find it hard to connect to someone/something who is constantly taking the piss. Balance is very important. It’s very scary writing something straight to the point and blunt, and some of these songs are quite dark and very personal. I guess I’ve sugar-coated them with things that make them sound less serious. Nevertheless, the project is still a bit of a joke to me, so it’s still really fun and easy to throw absurdist shit in there. 

With New Racehorse feeling like a turning point, does it open up a clearer direction for what comes next, or are you still figuring that out as you go? 

I have no clue what will come next. I’m still figuring that out! There’s definitely more available to me in terms of sound, but as of the moment, I have no clue what I’ll do with it. 

What do you love right now? 

At the moment, I’m really loving the city I’ve just moved to. There’s a lot going on, and that's really cool. Music-wise, I’m loving touring the country with my best friends. I’ve also been listening to a lot of folk music, which I’ve been learning to play in my spare time. 

What do you hate right now? 

As of this moment, my unfurnished sharehouse, but that's ok. Maybe slow walkers, too. There’s a lot to hate at the moment. Big money, big tech, all of those suckers. I acknowledge my privilege, and the fact that the things that I hate in my life are quite minuscule to others. 

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you? 

True Colours by Split Enz. My mum played a lot of Split Enz when I was very young. It definitely soundtracked some of my earliest childhood memories. It’s so classic. I remember losing my shit whenever Shark Attack came on. 

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

This is a tricky question. Off the top of my head, I’d just say to do what you love, and have fun with it.