Feeble Little Horse leans into digital weirdness on bitknot | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Feeble Little Horse leans into digital weirdness on bitknotNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...EntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentColumnCloseColumnPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ColumnMusicCloseMusicPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All MusicFeeble Little Horse leans into digital weirdness on bitknotThe band has evolved from exciting indie rock throwback into something more cutting-edge.The band has evolved from exciting indie rock throwback into something more cutting-edge.by Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienMay 31, 2026, 4:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftEven the cover revels in a low-bit digital aesthetic. Image: Saddle Creek / Feeble Little HorsePart OfWhat we’re listening to, watching, and reading right now.see all updates Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.From the opening moments of bitknot, it’s obvious that Feeble Little Horse has found an entirely new gear. Where on Girl with Fish the blown-out textures were more ’90s indie rock and shoegaze, on their latest LP, there’s a more modern edge to the distortion and the riffs cut cleaner. Similarly, where the digital glitchiness was mostly relegated to window dressing on their sophomore record, on bitknot it’s integral to the arrangements and a core part of their emerging, distinct sound.We got a preview of this new direction on the one-off single, and one of my favorite songs of 2025, “This Is Real.” It blended blast beats, Sonic Youth-esque guitar melodies, pitch-shifted vocals, and glitchy samples. It even briefly lets the metronome click bleed into the track. It’s a three-minute chaotic tour de force that needs to be heard.Bitknot reins in the scatterbrained tendencies and turns the thesis of “This Is Real” into something more approachable and sustainable over the length of a 25-minute LP. The opener, “Doorway,” starts with a wail of feedback and a pummeling series of guitar stabs before settling into a melodic microloop of synths and vocals over a programmed drumbeat. It drifts back to the big drum hits and fuzzy guitars for the chorus, gradually adding elements before collapsing into an outro of beat repeats and vocal stutters. It’s more “restrained hyperpop” than “maximalist indie rock” by the end.“Rewind” relishes in its cheesy synths. It’s college rock guitar and aloof guitars seamlessly married to bird recordings, a synth koto patch, and meowing melodies. “Shady” pairs low-quality MP3 guitars with a drum loop that sounds ripped from a 1998 issue of Computer Music Magazine. “Dior” even brings back the click track gimmick from “This Is Real” for its outro.If “This Is Real” was trying on a splashy new outfit at the store, bitknot is learning to incorporate some of that outfit’s flamboyant elements into your daily wardrobe and make it yours.It never reaches the absurd giddy highs of last year’s single, but it’s a better showcase for Lydia Slocum’s songwriting. The lyrics veer from sweet on “Cradle” (“I’ll draw our baby’s face / Give it your last name”), to bitterly disaffected (“That butterfly was my mistake / An analog of something fake / A metaphor I couldn’t shake”) on “Upside Down.” Slocum’s even got jokes on “Dior” (“He hit my line and said he wants to know his chances / Can’t tell a lie, I told him, ‘Slim like my Virginias’”).The back chunk of the record fully embraces the band’s new digital aesthetic. “Upside Down” is the closest to the raw glitchiness of hyperpop, “Guts” features a chopped-up vocal as a lead melodic instrument, and “Shopping” has a siren-like loping lead guitar and is bathed in subtle low-bit noise. The closer, “DMT,” explodes out of the speakers with a shower of digital sparkles and a riff that sounds like someone playing a guitar strung with rebar.The Feeble Little Horse on Girl with Fish with a great band, but they felt like something of a throwback. On bitknot, they’ve become something more, something special.Feeble Little Horse’s bitknot is available now on Bandcamp and most major streaming platforms, including Qobuz, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Spotify.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienColumnCloseColumnPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ColumnEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentMusicCloseMusicPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All MusicMusic ReviewCloseMusic ReviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Music ReviewMore in: What we’re listening to, watching, and reading right now.On Trails is a wandering tale that blends hiking, science, and historyTerrence O'BrienMay 24Oddity is masterfully tense horror from the director of HokumTerrence O'BrienMay 17Ashnymph’s Childhood EP is exhilarating dance goth rockTerrence O'BrienMay 10Most PopularMost PopularThe SpaceX IPO is great for Elon Musk and terrible for youNvidia, Microsoft, and Arm are all teasing Nvidia’s new N1X laptop processorsAI grifters are creating fake Black people to sell Shein junkHow one founder’s bet on ‘the old school web’ is paying offMicrosoft is threatening legal action for disclosing exploitsThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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The band Feeble Little Horse has undergone a significant evolution, moving from their earlier sound, which was characterized as an exciting indie rock throwback, into a more cutting-edge aesthetic with their latest release, bitknot. This shift is evident in the production quality and stylistic choices, moving beyond the blown-out textures and shoegaze influences present on their previous work. The new material incorporates a more modern edge to the distortion and riffs, and the digital glitchiness, once relegated to superficial window dressing, is now integral to the arrangements and the band's emerging, distinct sound.

The single “This Is Real” exemplifies this new direction, blending elements such as blast beats, Sonic Youth-esque guitar melodies, pitch-shifted vocals, and glitchy samples, creating a chaotic yet cohesive experience. The full 25-minute LP bitknot manages to contain the band’s scatterbrained tendencies while making the material more approachable and sustainable. The track “Doorway” serves as an opener, initiating with feedback and guitar stabs before settling into a melodic microloop of synths and vocals over a programmed drumbeat, eventually evolving into an outro featuring beat repeats and vocal stutters, positioning the track as more restrained hyperpop than maximalist indie rock.

Other tracks demonstrate the incorporation of digital textures: “Rewind” features cheesy synths seamlessly married with college rock guitar, bird recordings, a synth koto patch, and meowing melodies. “Shady” juxtaposes low-quality MP3 guitars with a drum loop reminiscent of material from Computer Music Magazine in 1998. The sonic palette of the album varied further, with “Upside Down” showcasing the raw glitchiness associated with hyperpop, “Guts” utilizing chopped-up vocals as a lead melodic instrument, and “Shopping” employing a siren-like loping lead guitar bathed in subtle low-bit noise. The closing track, “DMT,” concludes the record with an explosion of digital sparkles and a riff that evokes a guitar strung with rebar.

Lydia Slocum’s songwriting across the record displays a range of emotional tones, shifting between sweet lyricism, as heard on “Cradle” where she sings about drawing a baby’s face, and bitterly disaffected observations on “Upside Down,” where she reflects on mistakes and fakeness. The text also notes moments of humorous interaction, such as the lyrics in “Dior,” where she jokes about a line delivered by someone wanting to know their chances. Overall, bitknot represents a distinct trajectory for Feeble Little Horse, establishing a new and unique sonic identity through a sophisticated blend of digital experimentation and emotive songwriting.