Today Knife Party officially released their new EP Haunted House. But, is it as good as Rage Valley?

We regret to think not. Perhaps Haunted House peaked before it was even released, as the Australian duo dropped ‘Power Glove’ months earlier – the premier track among the four. Knife Party had some issues to address regarding the title of one of the tracks, ‘Baghdad’. The conundrum resulted in a delayed release of the entire EP, and will also raise a lot of curiosity for the scratched track. Whether it was for bad timing, political correctness, or unconventional publicity, the track was replaced with ‘Internet Friends (VIP Remix)’. Needless to say, the track was a filler. And it sounds like one too.

Knife Party has been an internet sensation over the last few years. Founded by two of the members from Pendulum, anything produced by Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen is shadowed with heavy anticipation. To our critical ears, ‘Bonfire’ is still a modern-day musical masterpiece. We were hoping they’d sample more of that reggae-dub in this EP, but I guess we just set ourselves up for disappointment. But Knife Party – among the likes of Skrillex, Avicii, and Armin Van Buuren (to name a few) – will always have the bar set a little higher. So without further scrutiny, we’re not exactly head over heels about Haunted House. 

But what do we know?