It inspired us to hear fresh, new music.”[2] New Look is a close combination of modern-day music and the style of 1980s electropop acts including Visage, Soft Cell, Ultravox, Yazoo, Pet Shop Boys and Eurythmics.

[3][4] The 1980s sound of the album is achieved with what Heather Steele of The Line of Best Fit explained as the duo's "penchant for analogue equipment, MIDI gaps and double-tracked female vocals.

"[3] Musically, New Look has the minimalism and space of indie pop act The xx to put Sarah Ruba's breathy, versatile vocal delivery in front of the mix,[4] which was compared by reviewers to Aaliyah[5] and Sade.

Including a "slow burning drum machine",[4] it was described in a review for the magazine Clash as a strange combination of the songs "You’re Not Alone" by trip hop group Olive and "I Can’t Wait" by Nu Shooz.

[4] A similar sediment was shared by Jim Carroll, a music critic for The Irish Times, writing that "In between the electro shimmer and the plush melodramatic moods (best experienced on The Ballad), New Look [...] show many good reasons to pay attention to what they’ll produce in the long run.

He wrote that the album's main issue was that the duo didn't know how to end their songs: "While not a total disaster, the missing key is obviously a skilled producer who could help them hone and sharpen their apparent talent.