[4] Manchester Evening News described McGarvey's songs as being "full of strange, hypnotic loops and samples, and the lonesome, existential imagery of his lyrics brings to mind a young Morrissey".

Manchester Evening News described their music as "alternative folk-pop of infinitely dark hue" comparing their work to that of Arcade Fire, Kate Bush and Antony and the Johnsons.

The latter featured two videos of McGarvey's performing "Somewhere Under Water" (from Last Things) and a cover version of Pet Shop Boys' "Heart" using piano, voice and various electronic instruments including a synthesizer and a loop pedal.

[11][12][13][14][15] As part of a feature on Minute Taker, Notion described Last Things as "A beautiful collection of electronic-orientated pop songs that sound like old recordings that have been rediscovered and restored by a renegade computer; glitching and looping.

[17] In February 2014, the 405 premiered Minute Taker's first music video for "Alkali", which incorporates clips from the 1922 expressionist film Nosferatu interwoven with degraded self-portrait footage and silent film-era narrational captions.

[21] The story is based on the experiences of Ravi Thornton's younger brother Roabbi (aka Rob) who committed suicide in 2008 at the age of 31 after having suffered a long battle with schizophrenia.

[22][23] McGarvey created the music live on stage using a loop pedal, piano and vocal harmonies to accompany the actors who sang the lead parts.

A collaboration with illustrator/animator Ana Stefaniak, the show was described by the Chorlton Arts Festival website as "a story told through a contemporary song cycle and projected photographic animations, exploring the melancholic temperament of artists".

The release features a cover version of the Pet Shop Boys song "Heart", which Minute Taker had recorded as a performance video for The 405 in 2013.

In a review of the latter, God Is in the TV stated "Imagine a meeting of Alison Moyet and Doves, you get echoes of Kate Bush in the percussion and piano, and washes of Mancunian melancholy everywhere – the warmth is almost tangible.

[31][32] On 30 June 2018, Minute Taker performed a concept album at Hebden Bridge Arts Festival titled Wilderness, "exploring a desire to escape the structures of society".

[36] In April 2019, Minute Taker announced the audiovisual show Wolf Hours, exploring the psyches of several gay men at different points in time over the past century, supported by Arts Council England and Superbia at Manchester Pride.

[37][38] On 9 October 2019, Minute Taker released the single and music video from Wolf Hours named "Hearts (We'll Never Know)", inspired by 1970s/1980s horror movies.

[48] On 6 September 2022, Minute Taker released an alternate version of the Wolf Hours album titled Secret Songs Volume 9: Mirror Edition.

[50] In November 2024 Minute Taker premiered a new short music film, Nocturnal Monologues, at Waterside's Prism Festival with a series of outdoor, multiscreen performances.