Paint Brain is described as having a "classic indie-rock feel, occasionally throwing in keyboards and plucked string instruments into the guitar-bass-drums mix that is traditional to indie rock [and a] go-to record to listen to on long drives with the windows down" by The Daily Targum. Spill rated the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, saying "Toy Cars brings the youthful exuberance of independence," and add that the album "ventur[es] into the realms of spacious Americana-influenced indie [with] willingness to shed comparison to early-2000s-inspired New Jersey emo." A review of the song "Iron Me Out" in Impose says it "drives with propulsive rhythms, searing guitars, waves crashing breakdowns and a soaring chorus as a classic NJ theme is examined; getting unstuck."
